Empanadas: A Mexican Tradition

8 comments

Posted by Yvonne on Dec 26, 2011 in Food, Woman | 8 comments

Empanadas: A Mexican Tradition

An empanada is basically a turnover. They are a classic item in the Hispanic culture and can be sweet or savory. Fillings range from fruit to meat and are a part of the holidays as well as a regular menu item in many Hispanic kitchens.

Our granddaughter Ava is fortunate to have both German and Mexican heritage and we spent an afternoon keeping her connected with her ‘latina side’ by preparing empanadas to leave for Santa. The original recipe came from my Aunt Mercy’s kitchen and I adapted it to decrease the fat content. I’m giving you both recipes so you can choose the one that best suites your taste.

Ingredients:

All Purpose flour

cream cheese

butter

cinnamon, sugar mix

your choice of fruit filling

Mercy’s Marvelous Empanadas

(makes about 6 dz. mini-empanadas)

4c flour

8 oz. cream cheese

4 sticks butter or margarine

 

Yvonne’s Less Fatty Empanadas

(makes about 3 dz mini-empanadas)

2c flour

1/2 c reduced fat cream cheese

1 stick butter

In a bowl, blend room-temperature cream cheese and butter together until well mixed. Next, add flour, about 1/2c  at a time until you’ve used all the flour. Refrigerate for 2 hours. ( This is imperative with the original recipe. It will be sticky and hard to work with if you don’t refrigerate.)

Flour the rolling pin and roll the dough out like a pie crust.
The stem of a wine glass made it easy for little hands

to help with the work.

 Spoon the filling ( about 1 t for a 4-5in. circle) in the center then fold over and use a fork to seal edges.( We used pineapple filling.) I recommend  you brush the bottom edge with a little water to help the dough stick and prevent bursting open when heated.

 Place in the oven @  350 ˚for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle

with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and a perfect place to get to know each other better or iron out differences. We can share family history, build memories and if we allow ourselves, in the midst of mouth-watering aromas, make ourselves vulnerable to one another, leaving a Fingerprint in each others lives.

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Terms: what year was empanada invented, traditional filling for mexican empanadas, traditional mexican empanadas, when were mexican empanadas invented

About

Email Yvonne Yvonne has spent over twenty years in the public schools. "Academics are the vehicle we use to inspire children to be courageous enough to fulfill their destiny.” Active in theater arts for most of her life, Yvonne has written and directed three original stage productions in the last year. Her first book, Fingerprint:Uniquely Marked for a Purpose has recently been released. It is a twenty one day devotional for women in both English and Spanish. To glimpse a preview or purchase your copy click here.

8 Responses to “Empanadas: A Mexican Tradition”

  1. Heather says:
    December 26, 2011 at 9:14 am

    You’re kitchen not only looks yummy, but so much fun! Can’t wait to try this at home, thanks for sharing!

    reply
  2. Linda says:
    December 26, 2011 at 6:59 pm

    Thanks for sharing Yvonne! I’m sure it will become one of our grandchildren’s favorites to make & eat. <

    reply
  3. Kala says:
    December 26, 2011 at 8:21 pm

    My general belief is that butter makes everything better, but I really enjoyed the less fatty version that Mom made this weekend. I look forward to trying them on my own with pumpkin filling.

    reply
  4. Yvonne V. Sanchez says:
    December 27, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    Please invite me over to try them out!!

    reply
  5. Erika Gonzalez says:
    December 28, 2011 at 11:04 am

    Mom, you make it look so easy….I know they’re delish! Great pics, too :)

    reply

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