Recipe courtesy of The Original Marini's Empanada House

Mucho Macho Empanada

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 11 hr 5 min (includes soaking and cooling time)
  • Active: 1 hr 5 min
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Beans:

Mucho Macho Beef:

Dough:

Mucho Macho Empanada:

Directions

  1. For the beans: Wash and soak beans in a bowl of water to cover overnight.
  2. Strain beans. Add 2 cups water, celery, onions, garlic, cumin and chili powder to a blender. Blend well. Add blended mixture to beans in a pot and cook until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary.
  3. For the mucho macho beef: Cook beef in a skillet on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper. Mix well. Cook for 5 minutes, then add onions. Continue cooking until onions are translucent. Add paprika. Turn the heat down and simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
  4. For the dough: In a mixing bowl, add flour, shortening and baking powder. Mix well. Add salt to warm water in a measuring cup, then pour water into bowl and mix to make a ball. Remove from bowl and knead dough on a lightly-floured surface. Cover and let rest for about 5 minutes.
  5. Flour a countertop. Roll dough with a pin to 1/8-inch thick, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut out 4 1/2- to 5-inch circles and stack one on top of another. Wrap in plastic and chill for about 5 minutes.
  6. For the mucho macho empanada: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  7. Set a dough disc in the palm of your hand. Spread prepared beans on the dough disc. Then add 1 1/2 tablespoons beef, cheese and serrano or jalapeno peppers, if using. Fold dough into a half-moon shape. Ruffle edges to close. (May use a fork to close an empanada as well.) Continue with remaining dough and fillings, placing empanadas on a greased pan 1-inch apart. Brush tops with egg wash and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Cook’s Note

To deep-fry the empanadas, heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry empanadas until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. To reduce cooking time, you can purchase canned vegan refried beans and season it with chili powder, garlic and cumin, per recipe.