Chilean Independence Day 2007

If we were in Chile right now, we would have spent the day feasting on one of the most delicious Chilean dishes ever: the empanada (pronounced empana’a).

This is the best empanada recipe I’ve had since I came home:

RELLENO (Filling)

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 medium-size onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Hot pepper sauce of your choice, to taste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

MASA (Dough)

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable shortening (Chileans would turn and spit at the thought of using shortening instead of lard, but this is an American version of the recipe.)
• 1 cup warm milk

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

• 1 large egg white lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• 12 pitted black olives, sliced (In Chile, you would neither pit nor slice the olives.)
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup seedless black raisins, optional (The recipe says “optional” but I completely disagree. Julie made these once without raisins, and it just wasn’t right.)

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring a few times, until transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and salt and cook for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef, and cook, stirring constantly, until it loses its pink color. Stir in spices and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth and cook for a few minutes, until the meat absorbs some of the liquid. Sprinkle in the flow, stir, and cook until thickened. The mixture should be soupy. Let cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop.
2. To make the dough, put the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add the shortening and process until the mixture looks like cornmeal. With the machine running, add the warm milk through the feed tube until the dough almost gathers into a ball. Transfer to a floured board and knead for a few seconds. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. Form the dough into a log and cut into 12 portions. On a lightly floured board, roll each portion in to a 6-inch circle. Lightly brush the edge of half the circle with the egg white mixture. Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling in the center, top with a few slices of olives, a slice of egg, and a few raisins. Fold half o fhte circle over to form a half—moon and press the edges together firmly. Brush the top with the egg white mixture. Fold the rounded edge over 1/2 inch, making three separate folds—one on each side, then one on the bottom—to create a trapezoid shape. Brush the folds with the egg white mixture and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
4. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
5. Pierce the tops of the empanadas once with a fork and bake until lightly colored, about 20 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with onion and tomato salad, drizzled with equal parts oil, salt, lemon and cilantro. Mas rico que los mormones!