Mucho Macho Empanada
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 897
- Total Fat
- 35
- Saturated Fat
- 12
- Carbohydrates
- 109
- Dietary Fiber
- 9
- Sugar
- 5
- Protein
- 36
- Cholesterol
- 103
- Sodium
- 889
- Total: 11 hr 5 min (includes soaking and cooling time)
- Active: 1 hr 5 min
Ingredients
Beans:
1/2 cup dried pinto beans
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Mucho Macho Beef:
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound thin sliced yellow onion
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
Salt and pepper
Dough:
1 1/2 pounds all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon baking powder
Salt
1 cup warm water
Mucho Macho Empanada:
1 cup Mexican-style blend cheese
Chopped serrano or jalapeno chile, optional
Oil, for greasing the baking sheet
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Directions
- For the beans: Wash and soak beans in a bowl of water to cover overnight.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- For the mucho macho empanada: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- 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.