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Around the World Recipe Ideas Chile Empanadas
Empanadas are not actually a Mexican dish originally; the dish is actually European in origin, coming from Spain and Portugal and arriving in the Americas along with Spanish explorers. They have become a popular dish in many of the cuisines of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean since, having caught on quickly.
After all, an empanada can be filled with almost any filling you like; cheese, meats, vegetables and even fruit for dessert empanadas. You will find almost as many empanada recipes as there are cooks, but this corn and poblano empanada recipe is one which is especially delicious.
Corn is of course a classic ingredient in Mexican cuisine, as are Poblano peppers. This recipe is very simple and if you prefer to add more spices or hot peppers to give these empanadas more of a kick, then you can definitely do so - the recipe is very forgiving that way.
Corn and Poblano Chile Empanadas
Ingredients -
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup masa harina
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
½ cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 poblano peppers
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
¾ cup Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together the flour, masa harina, ½ of the salt and the cumin, and then add to a food processor. Add the butter, cut into small pieces and the water and pulse until the dough comes together into a loose ball. Take out the dough and knead until smooth and elastic, then divide into 8 equal sized balls. Flatten the balls into roughly 3" wide circles on a floured surface. Allow to rest, covered, for half an hour in the refrigerator.
While your dough rests, roast your poblanos over the flame of a gas stove until blistered and blackened, then place in a paper bag and close tightly. Let the peppers stand for about 10 minutes and peel under cold running water; the skins should rub right off.
Remove seeds and dice the peppers finely.
Sauté the garlic in a skillet with a little oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add the corn, the remainder of the salt and poblanos. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes and remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
Roll the dough circles out to 5" diameter and fill each with about 3 tbsp of corn and pepper mixture. Wet the edges of the dough and fold over, crimping the edges with a fork to seal. Brush each with a mixture of egg white and a little water and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Photo Description:
Empanadas are a popular dish for a very good reason; they are absolutely delicious, no matter what you prefer to fill them with. This recipe makes an especially good choice, being delicious and suitable for vegetarians as well. The flavors of the corn and the roasted poblano go together very well, complimenting the subtly earthy-sweet flavor of the empanada dough, thanks to the inclusion of masa harina along with the all purpose flour.
