Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (48 page)

•
Makes about 20 small empanadas

•
Time: About 1 hour, including boiling, filling, and frying everything

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

¾ pound pumpkin, calabaza, or winter
squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into
½-inch cubes
¾
pound white potato, peeled and diced
into ½-inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, seeded and
diced finely
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper

 

2½ cups Harina PAN, Colombian- or
Venezuelan-style precooked
masarepa
corn flour (do not use Mexican
masa harina!)
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt

 

 

 

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

 

1. Prepare the filling first. Place the pumpkin and potato pieces in a large stockpot. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 24 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in the garlic, and fry until the garlic is fragrant and sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add the onions and green pepper and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the tomato, cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their juices and are very mushy. Stir the cooked pumpkin and potato into the sofrito, mashing it occasionally to form a chunky mixture. The filling should be moist but not overly juicy; if so, continue to cook and stir until excess liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and taste the filling, adjusting the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if necessary.

3. While the filling cools, prepare the corn dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the
masarepa
, warm water, and salt. You can use a wooden spoon or your fingers to stir the ingredients together. Once the dough starts to thicken, use your fingers to knead the dough and eliminate any lumps. The dough should be soft, slightly moist, and dense. Keep covered with plastic wrap or a clean, damp kitchen towel when not using.

4. Line a large plate with paper towels or crumpled brown paper, for draining the oil from the empanadas. Preheat the vegetable oil for frying in a large heavy pot (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat. Make sure that there are at least 2½ inches of oil in the pan, as the empanadas will need to be mostly covered in the oil to ensure even cooking. The oil is hot enough when a small piece of dough placed in the hot oil immediately starts to bubble rapidly and fry quickly. The idea is to use very hot (but never smoking) oil so that the outsides of the empanadas cook evenly without soaking up too much grease.

1.
Holding plastic wrap, fold dough over empanada filling

2.
Use a bowl or cup and firmly press on top of plastic wrap

3.
Remove the bowl. Gather dough trimmings.

4.
Empanada now has a sealed edge and half-moon shape

5. While the oil is heating, assemble the empanadas. Spread a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface (do not use waxed paper; only plastic wrap will keep the dough from sticking) and have ready a rolling pin and a small bowl or large mug about 4 inches in diameter. Take a lump of dough a little less than 2 inches in diameter, roll into a ball, and place on the plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap on top of the dough (leaving about 5 inches free around the dough), flatten slightly, and proceed to roll the dough into a circle about ¼ inch thick or slightly less.

6. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of the circle and, taking hold of the plastic underneath, fold the dough over to form a semicircle. Now for the fun part: turn your bowl upside down and line it up with the curve of the dough. Use it to firmly press down to cut through the dough. You’ve just sealed and trimmed the excess dough for a perfectly shaped empanada; lift up the bowl and you’ll see a cute half-moon pocket. Carefully lift off the plastic wrap, roll away the excess trimmed dough, and put the scraps back with the rest of the dough. (You can reroll corn dough scraps as much as you like, since there’s no gluten to toughen.) Continue to fill, fold, and cut the empanadas.

7. To fry: Place the newly shaped empanada directly into the hot oil to fry. Depending on the size of the pot, fry two to three empanadas at a time; don’t overcrowd the pan. (Keep extra un-fried empanadas on a plastic-lined surface.) Fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning each empanada occasionally with metal tongs or a slotted spoon. The empanadas are ready when their crust is golden, firm, and crisp on the edges. Remove from the oil, very carefully shake off any excess grease, and place on the paper-lined plate to drain for a minute or two. Serve immediately but be careful biting into a piping hot empanada. To bake: This is not at all traditional but an option if you’d rather not fry. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Oil a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Place the empanadas on the prepared sheet and lightly brush the tops with a little vegetable oil. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until their crust is firm and golden.

•
Makes about 20 small empanadas

•
Time: About 1 hour, including baking the plantains and frying everything

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free (if the seitan is omitted)

 

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 plum tomato, diced finely
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and
rinsed, or 2 cups cooked
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

 

 

 

1 cup cooked rice, either plain white or any
leftover flavored rice
1 recipe corn dough from Corn-Crusted
Pumpkin-Potato Empanadas (page 207)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and tear off a 12-inch-long piece of aluminum foil. Peel the ripe plantains as directed for Fried Sweet Plantains (page 115), wrap in the foil, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until soft. Unwrap, let cool enough to handle, and dice into ½-inch-thick pieces.

2. While the plantains are baking, make the black beans. In a large, heavy cast-iron skillet, combine the oil and garlic over medium heat. Allow the garlic to sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onion, bell pepper, and tomato. Using a wooden spoon to stir it occasionally, fry until the onion begins to turn translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin and oregano and fry for another 30 seconds. Stir in the beans and vegetable broth and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the beans are softened. Using a spoon, lightly mash the beans until the mixture is chunky. Remove from the heat and let cool enough to handle.

3. While the filling is cooling, prepare the corn dough according to the directions on page 208. Keep covered with plastic wrap or a clean, damp kitchen towel while not using.

4. Line a large plate with paper towels or crumpled brown paper for draining the oil from the empanadas. Preheat the vegetable oil for frying in a large, heavy pot (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat. Make sure that there are at least 2 inches of oil in the pan, as the empanadas will need to be mostly covered in the oil to ensure even cooking. The oil is hot enough when a small piece of dough placed in the hot oil immediately starts to bubble rapidly and fry quickly. The idea is to use very hot (but never smoking) oil so that the outsides of the empanadas cook evenly without soaking up too much grease.

5. While the oil is heating, assemble the empanadas: Spread a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface (do not use waxed paper; only plastic wrap will keep the dough from sticking) and have ready a rolling pin and a small bowl or large mug about 4 inches in diameter. Take a lump of dough a little less than 2 inches in diameter, roll into a ball, and place on the plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap on top of dough (leaving about 5 inches free around the dough), flatten slightly, and proceed to roll the dough into a round about ¼ inch or slightly less.

6. Scoop a heaping teaspoon
each
of plantains, beans, and rice into the center of the round. Taking hold of the plastic underneath, fold over the dough to form a semicircle. Turn your bowl upside down and line it up with the curve of the dough. Use it to firmly press down to cut through the dough. You’ve just sealed and trimmed the excess dough for a perfectly shaped empanada; lift up the bowl and you’ll see a cute half-moon pocket. Carefully lift off the plastic wrap, roll away the excess trimmed dough, and put the scraps back with the rest of the dough. (You can reroll corn dough scraps as much as you like, since there’s no gluten to toughen.) Continue to fill, fold, and cut the empanadas.

7. Either place the newly shaped empanada directly into the hot oil and start frying or set it down on a plastic-lined surface. When you’re ready to fry, slide two or three empanadas into the preheated oil at a time, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning each piece occasionally with metal tongs or a slotted spoon. The empanadas are ready when their crust is golden and firm and crisp on the edges.