45 minutes
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced russet potatoes
1 cup finely diced onions
1 cup finely diced crimini mushrooms
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 1/2 cups masa flour (Found in the Latino section of your local supermarket.)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups water
Make Dinner:
Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat, 8-10 minutes. Drain oil and add carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper to pan. Sauté another 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
While vegetables are cooking, make empanada dough. Blend masa, flour, and water in a medium mixing bowl. Use hands to form soft dough. (Chef's Note: If dough is dry or crumbly add more water, 2 Tbsp. at a time, until dough is smooth and easily forms a soft ball.)
When vegetables are soft, remove from heat. Prepare dough by separating it into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place balls, one at a time, on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a thin pancake resembling a small tortilla. Place 2 Tbsp. meat and vegetable mixture in the center of each. Fold the dough in half over the ingredients creating a half moon shape. Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the dough shut, sealing the edges of the curved side of the empanada.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry empanadas 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve with Salsa Roja.
Salsa Roja
4 dried red chiles (Chile de Arbol)
1 medium onion
5 Roma tomatoes
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic
1 tsp. salt
Juice of 1 small lime
Brown chiles in a small frying pan over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side until browned but not burned. Set aside. While chiles are browning, peel and chop onion into large pieces. Place
onion and whole tomatoes in medium saucepan filled with water. Heat to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a fork, remove peels from tomatoes. Place whole, peeled tomatoes, onion pieces and dried chiles in the blender. Add cilantro, garlic salt and lime juice and blend until smooth. Serve warm or cold.