An Empanada trick

[phatch]

I was checking out a new South American cookbook yesterday. For one of the empanada recipes, they had a cool shortcut in forming the dough.

Instead of rolling out the dough and tracing circular objects or using large biscuit/cookie cutters, they used a ball of the pastry in a tortilla press. That's a quick and elegant solution in my book.

Especially so as I have a tortilla press and a family fond of (baked) empanadas. They're fond of the fried ones too, but I don't usually use that method.

Phil

[Suzanne]

Just curious -- which book? Sounds like something I'd like, too, especially if you can bake the empanadas. And it just so happens I have a tortilla press, so . . .

[phatch]

It was at Barnes and Noble in the discount books in the entrance. So one of their in-house published books. Main title was Mexican but the subtitle included most of the rest of Central and South America. Had some other interesting stuff too but I haven't bought it. Though I probably will. After digging around, here's the book on their website:

Barnes & Noble.com - Books: The Complete Mexican South American & Caribbean Cookbook, by Jane Milton, Hardcover

This particular recipe was fried, but it should work with baked doughs too.

I'm thinking that once the fry bread is gone from my najavo tacos, I'll try this and use the drained stew as filling and the reserved liquid for a sauce on them.

[MuskyHopeful]

Weird, woke up this morning think of empanadas as I just bought a fry basket at Gander Mountain that fits nicely in the big pan I use for deep frying.

Tap open ChefTalk, and what do you know? A thread on empanadas.

I have a torilla press. Maybe I'll make some empanadas.

Kevin

No luck fishing yesterday.