Shrimp Enchiladas with Guajillo Sauce (aka Mex & Margi Date Night @ Home)

The Man LOVES Mexican food.

And I used to make it for him much more often until that rotten baby came along. :P

It takes time to make a proper chile sauce, and guacamole, and rice, and beans, and we can't remember the last time we've had a truly good night's sleep, so cooking hasn't been all that involved lately.

This is how we frame shots when we are both
sleep deprived and starving...

But even if we can't get away from the babyparenting gig long enough for a proper date just yet, I figured I'd make him some somewhat proper Mexican food at home as a way to do something for us. 

Because Mex & Margis for some reason always seem to feed the most relaxed conversation and a real sense of QT. As much as we love to eat and drink all kinds of other stuff, this is just our thing.

Our menu tonight made with what was on hand:

- Shrimp Enchiladas with Guajillo Sauce
- Jasmine "Mexican" Rice
- Refried Black and Butter Beans topped with Feta Cheese (I find Feta to be a pretty decent substitute for queso fresco - hits those creamy, tangy, salty notes, and many of us are likely to have it on hand)
- Guacamole

Dean's contribution - margis, of course.

We don't have room for margi glasses in our lives.
Barely enough room for the bottles. :P

And with Izzy behaving fairly well for us at the dinner table, that was a lovely midweek date night in.

We need to do that more often. 

shinae

Full album HERE.

100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 18...

As I've been feeding y'all a steady diet of all kinds of non-food related jibba jabba, let's return to the food today, shall we? And let's let that food be pig. Because pig is delicious. So very, very delicious.

Korean style pork belly in lettuce wraps with a spicy seasoned dwenjahng; smoked or grilled barbecued ribs with a finger lickin' sweet, smoky and tangy sauce; thick, juicy chops with an interesting fruit and onion compote or chutney; fatty, unctuous, gelatinous piggy feet stewed in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine and a little brown sugar; crispy, crunchy chicharrones served with a little vinegared hot sauce and washed down with a cold, cold lager; salty, smoky Kalua pork with tender, braised greens; and for tonight's dinner,

PERNIL (pehrNEEHL): a Latin American style pork roast, marinated this time in a mixture of orange and lime juices, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a little bit of sugar to offset the tartness of the lime juice.

Tender, garlicky meat with the zip of citrus and oregano on the inside, crunchy chicharron (cheechahRROHN) aka cracklin on the top side, supersoft and tender skin on the underside. Served with candy sweet platanos maduros fritos (PLAHtahnoss mahDOOHrohss FREEtohss) and a crunchy, tangy, and refreshing but very spicy pico de gallo tamed by a creamy Hass avocado.

*Mmms*, *oohs* and *aahs* flying between the three of us and so much satisfaction from something so simple and easy to make.

Food that makes everyone close their eyes for a moment in bliss. It doesn't get better than that.

If you're a fellow pig lover, and you haven't yet taken a crack at pernil, get thee to a piggery and bring one home to your family who will then thank you for their dinner, heartily and often. Kinda like the Boy and the Man did tonight. :)

BREAKFAST

Bagels - with a schmear for the boychild, and egg and cheddar for the Man and me.

   2 bagels @ $0.25

+ a schmear @ $0.25

+ 2 eggs @ $0.35

+ some cheddah @ $0.35

+ 2 cups coffee @ $0.40

+ latte mix for Joe @ $0.25

= BREAKFAST: $1.85 total

SNACK

Just for Joe - a bowl of rice with his own California Roll dipping sauce. All accounted for on another day.

LUNCH

Tandoori chicken leftovers for me, that and and apple for the Man, and a special request of scrambled eggs with Balsamic vinaigrette for Joe who is developing some very interesting food ideas and flavor combinations in his free time.

To go:

For here:

For the boy:

   Gala apple @ $0.25
+ 2 eggs plus a little milk, salt and pepper $0.40

= LUNCH: $0.65 total

DINNER

Pernil with fried, sweet plantains and pico de gallo with avocado.

pernil...

pico de gallo with avocado...

platanos maduros fritos...

...y todo.

And quite possibly the best part:

Too bad it's my hand in focus and not the frickin chicharron. :[

   3.5 lbs. of the bone-in shoulder (I shaved about a pound of meat off for tomorrow's dinner) @ $5.00
+ marinade seasonings @ $0.75
+ 2 Romas, half an onion, 1 jalapeno, some cilantro, and 1 Hass avocado for the pico de gallo @ $1.15
+ 2 platanos @ $1.50

= DINNER: $8.40 total, $2.10/serving (4 servings total)

SNACK

2 freezer pops each for the Man and me, 1 Fuji apple and a tall glass of chocolate milk for the boy. And 4 extra cups of coffee for me throughout the day because it was that kind of a day.

   4 freezer pops @ $0.20
+ 1 Fuji apple @ $0.30
+ chocolate milk @ $0.40
+ 4 cups of coffee $ 0.80

= SNACK: $1.70

Saturday:  $5.40
Sunday:  $16.00
Monday:  $12.40
Tuesday:  $12.60

$47.00 spent with three days left to go. I got a lot of what needed doing done today, so I'm hoping tomorrow will see me back on a normal schedule.

Probably sahngchoo ssahm for dinner tomorrow. (Well, technically today.)

shinae

A Better Pickled Pepper...

I don't remember exactly when I discovered pickled jalapenos, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with KFC and a bucket of extra crispy dark meat because my mom used to love the extra crispy kind. That was years before I learned to appreciate the crispyfatty goodness that is fried chicken skin, but I still don't care for KFC's breading, which must be equal parts 11 secret herbs and spices, flour, and SALT. That shizz is wayyyyy too salty. But I digress...

Having grown up eating and loving tangy, spicy pickled stuff, I took to pickled jalapenos like white on rice, and I can't remember a time we didn't order pickled jalapenos with our KFC unless we had the misfortune to stumble on a location that didn't sell them.

I could crunch on these all day...

But as much as I loved the things, I had two beefs with them:

1) unlike my beloved kimchi, they were squishy, AND
2) unlike my beloved kimchi, they squirted.

So I took to slicing the jalapenos and quick pickling them and ended up with what I think is a zestier, crunchier and prettier pickled pepper that isn't soggy, doesn't squirt, and can be eaten an hour after making. It's yummy with fried chicken and Mexican food of course, but it's also one of my favorite accompaniments to noodle soups.

If you look real close, you can see the orange in the veins.
These suckers estan muy picantes.

CRUNCHY QUICK PICKLED JALAPENOS
Makes about 25 ounces

- about 1/3 pound of jalapenos, 5 or 6 large ones, sliced on the diagonal in roughly 1/8-inch thick pieces (tips on how to pick them here)
- 1 medium carrot, sliced on the diagonal in roughly 1/8-inch thick pieces
- 1/2 a medium onion, sliced into roughly 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed or sliced into 2 or 3 pieces

- 1+1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar

- 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 bay leaf

1) Prep a minimum 24 ounce jar or tight-lidded plastic container by washing with soap, rinsing with hot water, and drying thoroughly.

2) Pack your vegetables into the jar or container, layering the peppers, onions and carrots in alternating layers. Add the garlic wherever you like. Because it's crushed, the flavor will quickly and easily steep into the vinegar.

A repurposed 25 oz. kosher dill jar...

top view :)

3) Make the brine in a medium bowl by mixing the vinegar, salt and sugar and stirring or whisking until all the salt and sugar are dissolved.

4) Pour the brine over the vegetables.

5) Bloom the oregano and bay leaf by heating the oil to medium hot and then stirring in the herbs - just a quick stir or two should do it. The oil should be hot enough that the herbs sizzle when they touch it.

6) Pour the oil with the herbs into the pickle.

If you're using a jar, screw the lid on tight and give it a few gentle shakes to distribute the oil and herbs and get some of the brine on the veg at the top of the jar. If a lidded plastic container, give the vegetables a few gentle packs by pushing down with a spoon. This packing motion should distribute the oil and herbs throughout the brining liquid. In any event, the oil will float back up to the top, but its flavor will be imparted to the brine before.

oil floats :P

7) Keep in the refrigerator. Pickles will be ready to eat in an hour and will keep at least a couple of weeks.

With last night's winner winner chicken dinner... :)

I usually re-use the brine once after all the pickles are eaten by adding a little more salt and as much veg as will fit into the container.

I think you'll like this (not quite) peck of pickled peppers. :)

shinae

From Dogs To Fish Tacos...

The other day, I read an article somewhere about how Maria Shriver's dad advised her to make the Governator get a dog early on in their relationship - and to scrutinize his treatment of that dog - because it would be a good indicator of his aptitude as a husband. Growing up, my mom also used to say that, no matter the personality, there is something redeeming in the character of a good dog owner.

Last night's tropical fish tacos...
And by that I mean tropical AND fish tacos
not tropicalfish tacos.

I think there's something to that line of thinking because, whether the ability to care is the chicken or the egg in that argument, I observe this truth in the Man every day. Buried beneath what appears to be an incredibly simple generalization is the understanding that it takes a decent and caring person who is capable of

• being selfless in moments, 
• anticipating the needs of others, and 
• having empathy and compassion (for a creature unable to speak your language, no less) 

to be concerned with the welfare, comfort and pleasure of another being, and ultimately to be a good partner in life. 

lo-carb version...

Whether it's waking up 2 or 3 times a night to cover the whiny wiener dog with her blanket, or surprising me with a slice of chocolate cake because I posted my hormonal cravings on facebook, or taking my son to BevMo to buy a 6 pack of some artisanal root beer just because he's enamored with root beer, the Man  proves my mom's (and Maria's dad's) point through lots of little kindnesses every day.

And though I often fall short of his thoughtfulness, I do try to remember to return the favor from time to time by making a meal I know he'll love. He generally loves deep fried things. And if those things happen to be beer battered fish wrapped in a corn tortilla with some crunchy cabbage, other fresh veg or tropical fruit, and one or more super hot sauces (he's a chili head), I can find a way to dethrone the Man's best friend, if only while we're eating dinner. 

Some folks like a thicker batter on their fish, which is not a bad idea if you need to stretch the fish out. But barring a shortage, I like my batter on the thin side, and I like it really crisp. I find that mixing starch (in this case corn) with the flour, using a light-flavored and golden-colored lager, and keeping the batter cold in the freezer between frying batches helps to achieve just that texture.

light, crisp, golden brown batter...

Yesterday, I served the tacos on corn tortillas (warmed stovetop) with some crisped red cabbage, my blended pico de gallo, a really hot habanero/lime/garlic "crema" made with sour cream and mayo, and some diced, supersweet mango to counter the heat from the chilis in the two sauces. It was simple, fresh and delicious, and I think it made the pooch jealous on multiple fronts. ;)

LAGER BATTERED FISH TACOS

Serves 4

• 1.5 pounds of flaky white fish (tilapia, snapper, halibut - whatever works. They all cook pretty quickly.) cut into 2-inch long, 1/2 inch thick strips and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
• 3 cups oil for frying (vegetable, corn or canola). BTW, you can save frying oil (refrigerated) and reuse a good 3 or 4 times before discarding. Just remember to keep the oil used for savory foods for the same purpose. Same goes for sweet/dessert stuff. Oil for fish tacos should probably be saved for another fish taco or fish & chips day.
• 12 to 15 5-inch corn tortillas

Batter

• 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1+1/4 cup of lager beer (Corona, Bud, Kirin - doesn't matter), no foam (just under a full American 12 oz. bottle)

Sauces

• habanero/lime/garlic "crema" - zap the following in a blender 20 to 30 seconds or until smooth.

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons mayo
• 1 habanero, rough chopped (habis, as they're affectionately called in our house, are VERY hot. If VERY hot is not your thing, you might try using just an eighth or quarter of the pepper to start.)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 very small clove)
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• blended pico de gallo (recipe here)

Garnish 

No hard and fast rules here. Just some suggestions.

• very thinly sliced cabbage (red or green) - I like to crisp the cabbage in a bit of ice water and drain well before serving.
• diced tropical fruit (mango, papaya, pineapple) to offset and balance the heat from the chilies in the sauces
• fresh avocados
• lime wedges
• cilantro sprigs

1) Prepare the sauces and garnishes first and refrigerate. You'll want everything else ready as soon as the fish comes out of the fry so you'll have nice, crisp fish tacos.

2) Slice and season the fish.

3) Prepare the batter by whisking all ingredients together in a mixing bowl just until smooth (and no more). Put batter in freezer to cool while oil is heating.

4) Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or Dutch oven to 375F (if you've got a thermometer) or until it's hot enough that drop of batter sizzles and rises to the top within a couple of seconds. Prepare a plate lined with a double layer of paper towels to soak up the excess oil from your fried fish.

5) Get the batter out of the freezer and batter 7 or 8 pieces of fish at a time and fry until golden brown, about 2.5 to 3 minutes per side. Put batter back in the freezer between batches.

6) When you're on your last batch, warm your tortillas per package instructions, or straight on a gas burner, like I do. 10 to 12 seconds per side, directly over high heat.

my favorite tortilla warmer

7) While your last batch is cooling, set out your sauces, garnish and tortillas. 

 

I like to use 2 pieces of fish per taco - just a logistical thing.

Delicious and versatile, perfect with a cold beer. And if you feed some to the dog, she'll be your best friend, too.

shinae

P.S. Those mango chunks up there are WAYYYY too big to put in your fish tacos. I just forgot to picturize the diced ones. Teehee!

Finish What You Start - Picadillo Para Empanadas...

I recently posted an empanada pastry recipe here, and as I'm still forming the habit of writing down recipes as I make them, I forgot to take measurements for the picadillo (pronounced peekahDEEyoh) that fills them. It's just as well because I think I made enough picadillo that day to feed a crack team of mercenaries. It was a family dinner night, plus we always like to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Tastes better than it looks. Really.

Having dinner guests aside, it's easy to overestimate the amount of filling you'll need for empanadas and other filled pastries or dumplings. Because you forget that it has to wrap itself around the filling, the disco always appears to have more capacity than it really does, and the first couple of empanadas are invariably sacrificed to the tasty but overstuffed and ugly pile.

The pastry recipe yields 12 to 15 discos and so accordingly, this recipe should yield enough to use up your batch with little or no picadillo left, if you eyeball it just right. Olives are traditional in many cuisines, but I'm starting to leave them out as I think the rich, slightly tangy and (aromatic) spicy flavor of the simmered ground beef, both complemented and contrasted by the sweetness of the raisins, is delicious enough on its own. (But I've included them in the recipe as an option if it's a necessity for you as I know it is for many Latinos who love their empanadas de picadillo.)

This filling is made by sweating the refrito (the cooked onion, pepper and garlic mix, also known as sofrito) and simmering the ground beef, so the heat should never be higher than medium at any point. Because the ground beef is simmered, it's much more tender and yielding to the pastry than it would be if it were sauteed.

PICADILLO PARA EMPANADAS

Fills 12 to 15 pastries

• 1 pound ground beef (80/20 or 70/30 is fine - I wouldn't go much leaner than that)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (the fine chop is important because you don't want large pieces tearing your pastry)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper (you can use any color, but I like the red or orange because they're sweeter and look prettier in the filling)
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic (3 to 4 medium cloves)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 8 green pitted olives, cut in half (*optional for me, but many would disagree)
• 3 oz. tomato paste (basically half of one of those small cans)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf (or 1/2 teaspoon crushed bay)
• neutral oil

1) In a 10 or 12 inch pot or pan, sweat the onions, peppers and garlic in 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium low heat until the onions are translucent. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. (Sweating them requires a lower heat than saute, but this results in sweeter and softer vegetables which will also yield better to the dough. Plus the garlic won't burn even if you throw it in at the same time as the onions and peppers.)

2) Push the refrito to the side of the pan and add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the center. Give the oil about 10 seconds to heat up and then add your tomato paste right on top of it (this will caramelize the tomato and give it sweetness and depth), along with the cumin, black pepper, bay leaf and salt.

3) Stir to incorporate all the ingredients in the pan, and add the ground beef, spreading it evenly over the surface area of the pan. Because you're simmering the beef at a lower heat, you'll find that you don't have to constantly break up the beef as usually needed when cooking at high heat. Other than a light sizzle right when the meat hits the pan, it shouldn't be sizzling and/or actively bubbling. If it is, turn the heat down a touch.

4) Simmer the ground beef for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in raisins and simmer another 1 or 2 minutes. (I like to add the raisins toward the end so they can retain their shape and texture. Also, if olives are your thing, this is where you'd add them.)

At the end, you'll see your picadillo swimming in a little puddle of fat. I drain the fat by pushing all the picadillo over to one side of the pan and resting that side on the burner so the fat can drain to the lower part of the pan. In about 10 minutes, most of the fat should be drained, and you haven't dirtied another dish in the process.

Drainage - *WOOT!!!*

Back in a bit with filling and frying instruction.

Well, I'm 2/3 finished...

shinae

Pico de Gallo You Could Drink Through A Straw... (But I wouldn't advise it.)

Sometimes, one little tweak in technique or process using the same set of ingredients makes a noticeable difference in the result. This is culinary jackpot for someone (not saying who) driven by an almost unnatural, and perhaps even unhealthy, preoccupation with efficiency. 

Juicy, tangy, fresh tomatoes on your salad are one flavor experience quite different from the mellowed, sweet, almost caramelized flavor of the roasted or stewed ones on your pasta. The marinade that's grilled with your steak or pork chop is a totally other, yet complementary, thing to the salad dressing made using it as a base and drizzled atop some fresh spring greens and veg... 

And pico de gallo - with the separate bits of savory onion, hot jalapeno, zesty tomato and fragrant cilantro, all steeped in the refreshing juice of fresh lime - transforms into a luscious, piquant salsa suitable for dressing, dipping or marinating, when blended and emulsified with a little bit of oil.

While this blended version is not necessarily superior to the chunky stuff (it's certainly not as pretty, and there are definitely instances in which the chunky works better for me - atop grilled fish and meats especially), I've found that one advantage to blending/emulsification is that the stuff keeps its flavor and integrity longer than pico de gallo, which sweats a lot of liquid within a few hours of making, throwing off the flavor balance and altering the texture of the individual components in a way I don't enjoy as much. 

It's like a hot and spicy frappucino almost...

This stuff will keep in the fridge, original flavor intact, for a good 4 to 5 days. And since it can be made with canned tomatoes, it's a good perennial recipe to have on hand.

BLENDED PICO DE GALLO
Makes about 1.5 cups

• 1 cup finely chopped tomato seeded, pulp removed OR 1 cup canned, crushed tomatoes
• 15 to 20 whole stems of cilantro, cut or hand-torn into 1 inch segments
• 1 small clove garlic, rough chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional for me - some days I'm feelin' it, others not so much)
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 jalapeno, rough chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice to start
• 1+1/2 Tablespoons neutral flavored oil
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt + a pinch OR 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Lo siento for leaving you out of la foto, Cebolla...

Throw it all in a blender, pulsing a few times at first to pull the ingredients into the blade, then blending for a minute or two until it's nice and smooth, no chunks left. 

You may want to add a little salt at this point if your produce is specially juicy (or if you just like things saltier). Maybe a pinch more sugar if the tomatoes and lime gave it a little too much tang for your liking. Or perhaps another squeeze of lime juice if your tomatoes are a little flat. If you do adjust the seasoning, don't forget to give it another quick (15 to 20 seconds) whirl to ensure all the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Still holding up the next day... I know.
Kinda looks like poo on a spoon.

Obviously great for tortilla chips, tacos, burritos (like we made this weekend). 

We polished off the last of it with some carrot sticks while watching one of those *TRIPPY* Miyazaki flicks with the monsters. (What kind of salsa is that dude smokin'???)

Que te disfrutes,

shinae

DEEPLY FRIED - MILs & Empanada Wrappers...

When you believe that each person who crosses your path has a lesson for you, it's hard to regret their role in the play that is your life, whatever it be. Generally speaking, I think the bigger the part and the longer the scenes before the exit, the greater the lesson (or the more pigheaded we are about learning it)...

They say men tend to marry their mothers and women their fathers. And though I would have liked to believe this wasn't my truth, after 11 years of what some would call an *unbalanced* marriage, a nasty divorce in the aftermath of what I call a *LONG AND EPIC PERSONAL BREAKDOWN*, and a few more years of oft painful reflection, I have to admit that it was very much my truth. Staring me in the face for 13 years through the eyes of a hard-working, well-meaning, self-sacrificing but very passive aggressive and hugely enabling little Ecuadorean woman, were some of the biggest lessons I needed to learn before I could step forward into a mutually loving, caring, nurturing and respectful partnership - one that I would proudly model for both my son and daughter.

Picadillo empanadas.
As with almost everything deep fried,
they are insanely tasty. :)

In moments of judgment, I saw her as a self-made victim of Latino machismo who quietly went along with her Cuban husband's chest pounding only to turn around and curse it in whispers under her breath. I would wonder in frustration why she didn't just tell the man to his face that he was full of mierda when he made whales of some of the minnows he fished out of life. (To be clear, I have a lingering love and affection for both of these complex people who loved me like the daughter they never had.)

But in moments of empathy, I understood exactly why she didn't. She didn't because she, like I, came from a culture, nature and history that made us want to protect a man's ego, and our perception of that man (no matter how deluded), at all cost. Obviously at cost to the woman suffering a man who needs big praise for little deeds, but also not so obviously at the cost of true growth for the man too easily and eagerly resting on that praise. And so in my own marriage, save the contemptuous whispers, I often found myself doing the very thing for which I criticized my mother-in-law: preserving my husband's ego at the cost of my own sanity, well-being, and sense of truth.

No delusion here - just tender,
flaky, delicious pastry...

Lest I should be misunderstood, I don't think it admirable what we did. Understandable, perhaps even forgivable, yes. To be emulated, absolutely not. Because good intentions mixed with a bad case of delusion can create a vicious cycle within which the enabler unintentionally chips away at their own ability to respect the enabled. And the enabled, despite the natural urge to accept praise, presumably believes at their core that, being so enabled, they were never worthy in the first place.

I don't fault her the whispers. I think that if I'd stayed married, I would also have found a quiet way to process my feelings. I've never been much for screaming matches nor for Western psychology's notion that we can pay a disinterested (and likely uninterested) third party to somehow stoke the flames of lasting inner growth that we lack the desire to make on our own. 

But with due respect for the life the ex MIL continues to live her way, I like to think that I exited stage left from her son's life because I was fortunate and able to learn a lesson that perhaps her circumstances did not allow: that a painful severance grounded in reality is ultimately better for the soul than a lasting union based on delusion.

We don't talk very much any more, our relationship a casualty of the tension between me and the son she is compelled to continue enabling. But the last time we had a heart to heart, I told her why I'm not going back. She teared up momentarily for the loss of so many things I'm sure, but then nodded and said "I understand." And in that moment, it was as though we had both fulfilled our biggest purposes in each other's lives - both as mirrors of our selves and as windows offering a glimpse of what lay, or could lay, ahead, for the choice to see, and act on, things as they are and not as we hope or pretend them to be.

If I have rejected some part of her in walking away from a life with her son, I still remember fondly, albeit sometimes sadly, the many moments of real warmth and affection shared between us, mostly in the kitchen, that are not likely to ever happen again. But in addition to her blessing to move on to a better life, she gave me a rich legacy of delicious foods I never knew existed until I married her son.

Empanadas are my favorite of all of her dishes because they're such crowd pleasers. Savory picadillo with bits of salty, briny olive and a sweet surprise of the occasional raisin - all wrapped in a delicious, deep fried pastry. Too hot fresh out of the oil, so you chat and wait and chat a little more until they're ready to bite into...

She likes to use the frozen Goya wrappers, or discos, as they're called in Spanish. But one of those inspired, DIY, elbow-grease-y moments sent me on a search for a perfect empanada pastry recipe, and I found a near-perfect one on epicurious. Just a couple of modifications produced a lightly sweet and oh so tender yet flakey pastry that works well with both sweet and savory fillings.

It's not a difficult recipe, but you do have to commit yourself to the time and effort it takes to make, chill, and roll the discos. A lazy weekend afternoon with a nice, chilled glass of pinot grigio and some Gipsy Kings is probably not a bad way to go about it.

EMPANADA WRAPPERS (DISCOS PARA EMPANADAS)

Adapted from this GOURMET 2004 recipe. My additions in italics.

Makes 12 to 15 wrappers.

- 2+1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

- 1+1/2 teaspoons salt

- 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 large egg

- 1/3 cup ice water

- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

- 1 Tablespoon Sugar

- 1 Tablespoon cold (solid) chicken fat (or 1 extra Tablespoon butter - I always have chicken fat left over from making stock, but the chicken fat does give it a different flakiness. Worth the modification if you've got it, but not a huge biggie if you don't.)

1) Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. If you don't have a sifter, just grab handfuls of flour and sift them through your fingers from 6 inches above the bowl. Do this about 10 times, and your dry ingredients will be incorporated and aerated.

2) Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)

3) Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour. If you're in a hurry, 30 minutes in the back of the freezer will do.

If it's a warm day, I like to keep the dough I'm not currently working in the fridge. The butter can melt quickly and make the dough challenging to work with.

4) Cut dough into equal sized cubes (about 1+1/2 inches) and roll into balls. Leave 3 or 4 out to roll, and put rest in fridge.

A baker's dozen here, but I can actually
squeeze 15 to 18 (and get a less doughy center)
out of this recipe if I roll real hard...

5) Roll into 4"-5" discs, depending on how big you want to make your empanadas.

Roller is in storage. This worked swell.

Par for the course, I take measurements for one thing, and forget them for another. Will try to get some filling recipes up shortly.

shinae 

06.10.11 - Picadillo recipe posted here.