Empanadas

poco says on Jan 4, 2007, 20:58:

Arepa con Huevo ???? Is an Arepa an Empanada or is this two questions ?

Anyway the answer is ONE KIND of Empanada,, but it comes in different flavors,, chicken being one of them but it seems beef,, or what is passed off as beef is the most popular,, Hummmm, I wonder if it is pork,, who knows.. so,, sorry I took a bite out of it but if I didn't you wouldn't be able to see the egg.

As luck would have it,, I have a photo of an arepa with an egg in the center. I wonder how they do that,, same mystery as the boat in the bottle. A talent I'll never master. Good thing they are cheap.



The first photo just didn't do it justice,, I can remember licking the grease off my fingers and wondering just how many years eating one of these things reduced my life span ???



Still, this is better than a cholesterol pill,,, not a cholesterol REDUCTION PILL,, a cholesterol pill,, ie: grease ball,, only tastier.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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Ctg Bound says on Jan 5, 2007, 05:22:

Empanada The six Fridays leading up to Easter, my local cafe does Empanadas with Tuna.

Deliciouse.

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aluheln says on Jan 5, 2007, 16:13:

OOPS I was really sleepy when I wrote that. Your pictures have made me so hungry. My mouth is watering. It is two questions. Thanks for your help. I am so gladd you are on top of it.

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oldbongo says on Jan 7, 2007, 18:52:

oldbongo is. willing to bet anyone on this site, that he can confirm consuming more arepas con huevo in the last thirty five years, than anyone.
oldbongo has mastered the culinary art of arepa con huevo making.
they used to be a peso,(one), ...now they are 1000 pesos.
the absolute best in cartagena, can be found everyday at
kiosko Bony en la playa,or in the evenings in the plaza de san diego.
........what's cholesterol??

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famsearch says on Jan 7, 2007, 19:55:

found plenty of filling recipes... but i haven't found one for the cornmeal pastry part of an empanada. can anyone help? (my beloved wife doesn't know how to make them)
dan

dan

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oldbongo says on Jan 7, 2007, 21:21:

here it is again... use PAN harina ...yellow.
add a little salt and sugar,
mix with warm water and a little milk to make dough that is soft,
let it sit for 10 min or so.
form into a ball a little smaller than tennis size.
place ball between sheets of tin foil on a plate,
press with another plate, just enough to make a flat arepa
precicely a half inch thick, plus a little.
deep fry that puppy.

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famsearch says on Jan 9, 2007, 06:15:

that's good for arepas... but i was wondering about the pastry for empanadas. there is a lady around the corner from the mother in law who sells them. i liked the hinged board she has for making them. just a small ball of dough, flatten nice and thin with the boards, spoonfull of filling, and in the fryer they go...
dan

dan

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big kugz says on Jan 9, 2007, 11:33:

empanadas I do believe that I have fully mastered the art of the Empanada and I have developed several tactics for the masa. DO use PAN yellow, it's the best. Use two chicken stock cubes, boil them into like a cup of water. Take a cup of cold water and mix them together with squirt of lime. Mix with masa, adding more untill it is a moist ball of dough, and do so while the liquid mixture is still warm. As you pull your masa out, do so by making one ball at a time. Rip a large plastic bag in two and use one side of it to place the ball of masa in. Fold the bag over so theh plastic is atop and underneath the masa with plenty of room spread out, then flatten to about 1/4 inch between a cutting board and a hard flat surface. Unfold, put a tablespoon of filling in, then refold the plastic AND the empanada with your hand behind the bag to close the empanada. Press the edges to seal, use a large glass to trim the edges, then unfold the plastic and your masterpiece is complete.

You may have to wet your hands as you make the balls of dough to add moisture so that they do not dry out. The crust will crack and fall apart if starts to dry.

I also have some really bomb recipes for the filling if anyone would like.

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famsearch says on Jan 9, 2007, 12:18:

send them! por favor! dan

dan

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big kugz says on Jan 9, 2007, 19:49:

Big Kugz' steak empanada potion #1 Okay, everything i do is by taste so add portions as you like but use:

Steak (cut into very small cubes)
Potato (also small cubes)
Cilantro (to your taste)
2 chicken stock cubes
Any other vegetable you like (also cut small, i like carrot and green pepper)
Finely chopped garlic
4 finely chopped green onions
Paprika
Cumin
Salt
El Condimento Completo (product of Medellin, if you cant find just add more cumin and paprika)

First chop potato and place in medium saucepan a third full of water. Start heating immediately.

Add Chicken cubes when water boils

Chop meat, veggies, cilantro, garlic and onion, adding to the saucepan as you go

Then add your spices. You may like alittle, I like a lot. Generally I add till the mix is a reddish brown and then taste test, adjusting from there. Lastly add a teaspoon of salt.

Boil down and reduce until the mix is thick, don't forget to stir every five minutes. This part can be quite time consuming but is worth your effort as all the ingredients are releasing their flavor.

After mix is thick, cool for fifteen min and you're ready to put em in the masa shell.

I do not, however, have a recipe for aji... odd, but don't have one. If anyone knows, I'd love to find out whats in it.

Lemme know how they turn out!

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big kugz says on Jan 11, 2007, 05:59:

forgot to mention you should cook them immediately. If you want to save them before cooking, I suggest using a vaccuum sealer and placing a small piece of tin foil between each one to prevent them from freezing together (for me, this led to a very dire knifepenetrateshand situation). They keep very well this way and taste WAY better than freezing them after cooking.

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oldbongo says on Jan 11, 2007, 08:31:

kugz....... oldbongo is sure you are very popular with the gang in colombia,if oldbongos' experience is any indicator. they love it when a man gets in there and shows them some power in the cocina. the only problem is, when they ask too many questions,..like,..que es eso??
how do you think they act when we tell them the secret ingredient is salsa cucaracha, importado de thailandia after they consume all, and ask for more....anyway, oldbongos' aji is easy:
chop fine yellow,red, white, and green onions,garlic, celery,bell peppers, and different chiles, no jalepeno,add cumin, coriander,plenty of lime juice, salt, vinegar,and a little sugar.
sometimes,add chop tomato.

chimmichuri.....next time.

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big kugz says on Jan 11, 2007, 09:03:

Thanks For the aji recipe. I'm gonna try it this weekend for my wife's welcome back party.

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oldbongo says on Jan 11, 2007, 09:27:

BTW... oldbongo remembers them as pickerel,..now he hears walleye.
can you 'splain it to the old one.

as he and elmo fish opposite coasts, we know not about these things.

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famsearch says on Jan 11, 2007, 09:47:

oldbongo... you wouldn't want to tell us how much of each item for aji por favor?
dan

dan

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oldbongo says on Jan 11, 2007, 10:55:

no,.... because its always different,
alzheimers has a way of rendering recipes useless,
so oldbongo just uses what he has available at the time,
and sometimes he forgets something.
however, any amount will do if you cook with love.
just mix all that stuff up and put it in a jar,
and it will be great tomorrow....have fun.

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