Empanadas

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Directions

• Make the masa: combine masa harina, flour, and salt until mixed. Add in water and mix by hand until a dough forms. The dough should be moist but not sticky, or it will stick to the tortilla press and tear. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest while making the filling.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet. When it is hot, add the onions and tomatoes. Cook until the onions are soft and the tomatoes have lost some water, about 5 minutes.
• Add the potatoes. Cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have started to soften.
• Add the ground beef. Use a spatula to break the beef into pieces while it cooks. Mix in with onion/tomato/potato mixture and cook until beef is cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Continue to break the beef into pieces as it cooks. Add 1 tablespoon of Adobo seasoning and 1 teaspoon Maggi liquid seasoning while it is cooking.
• After the beef is cooked through, taste. If it is not seasoned enough, add additional Adobo seasoning until it is well-seasoned. It should be a little saltier than you would make it if you were eating it plain, as the masa shell will have very little salt.
• Add 1/4 cup water and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, then uncover, and smash the mixture to mash and incorporate the potatoes. If the water is all evaporated, add an additional 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook 4-5 more minutes.
• Allow filling mixture to cool slightly.
• Press the empanada shell: cut the zip end off of a heavy duty ziplock bag and cut along two sides of the bag so that you have the two halves of the bag attached only by the bottom seam. Place one half of the bag on a tortilla press. Roll a golf ball size piece of masa into a ball. Place the ball on the ziplock bag, then fold the other half of the bag over the top. The layers should be: tortilla press, ziplock bag layer, ball of masa, ziplock bag layer. Close the tortilla press and use the lever to partially flatten the masa dough. For an even press, open the tortilla press, rotate the masa 180 degrees, and press again, until the masa is about 1/8 inch thick and has a diameter of 5-6 inches. These are big empanadas. If you prefer smaller ones, use less masa, and press to a diameter of 4 inches (still about 1/8 inch thick). Lift the top layer of ziplock bag off of the pressed masa shell. You should have a disc of masa on the bottom layer of ziplock bag. If the edges crack, the dough may be too dry. You can sprinkle a little water over the remaining masa and work it in with your hands to moisten it.
• Fill the empanada: take 1 tablespoon of filling and place it in the middle of the shell, leaving a1/4-1/3 inch edge. Use the ziplock bag to fold the empanada in half. Line up the edges and gently press to seal. Carefully peel the ziplock bag away from one side of the empanada then carefully remove the other half of the ziplock bag. If the dough tears, it may be too moist. You can add a little masa harina to make the remaining masa less moist. Place the formed empanada on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
• At this point, the empanadas may either be frozen, refrigerated, or cooked. If freezing, freeze for at least 4 hours in a single layer. Once the empanadas are individually frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a ziplock bag or other freezer-safe container and freeze. If planning to cook these within 24 hours, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If planning to cook later, they should be frozen.
• Heat 1/2 inch neutral oil (such as canola oil) in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, place empanadas flat side down in hot oil. Cook until the bottom is golden brown. about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 5 more minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve warm with crema media, shredded queso de frier, lettuce, and fresh salsa.
• This recipe is from Fabiola Peters.