Food on the Road: Tom's Empanadas

I think it's fair to say that we've eaten approximately 20 pounds of empanadas since we've been in South America. Chicken, beef, sausage-- we've eaten them all. So when Tom suggested that we make our own empanadas to take with us on a big hike, I looked at him like he was crazy. Empanadas are about a buck apiece; we could buy a dozen of them without spending much money or too much time in the kitchen.

Homemade empanadas! Mmm.

Of course, Tom made me eat my words. Unlike the empanadas we've been eating in Chile and Argentina, his were full of healthier proteins like beans and eggs. His empanadas were hearty without being oily. Plus, they made use of our leftovers!

Tom's Empanadas

   Ingredients:

   12 empanada "shells"
   Olive oil

   For Bean Filling

   3 cloves garlic, minced
   1 onion (small), chopped
   1 tablespoon of cumin (or, to taste)
   Black beans (about half a bag)
   1 small butternut squash, cubed
   1 small potato, cubed
   2 carrots, chopped
   1 bullion cub

    For Egg Filling

    4 eggs, beaten
    1 potato, cubed
    1 onion, chopped
    1 red pepper, chopped
    1 clove garlic, minced

   Directions:

   Step 1 - Make your fillings.
           A. Bean Filling:
                1. Soak the beans overnight. Then, bring beans to a boil with 1 bullion cube.
                2. While beans are boiling, chop your vegetables. Lightly boil potatoes and squash until tender.
                3. When potatoes and squash are tender, saute them with other vegetables, olive oil and cumin.
                3. Once vegetables are tender and beans and soft, mix together. Add some liquid and salt to taste.
           B. Egg Filling:
                 1. Chop vegetables.
                 2. Boil potatoes until tender.
                 3. When potatoes are tender (but still retain their shape), saute them with the other vegetables.
                 4. After a few minutes, add eggs. Mix well.

   Step 2 - Lay out each empanada shell and fill with approximately 2 tablespoons of filling. Don't overfill!  Fold in half and seal thoroughly. (Tip: You may want to alternate your style of sealing for each kind of empanada, so that you can differentiate between the two types.)

   Step 3 - Place a bit of olive oil in a pan and get it very hot. Lightly fry each empanada until it turns light brown.

   Step 4 - Wrap empanadas in a bit of paper towel to reduce moisture and oiliness. Store. Then eat!

The empanadas are best right after they come out of the pan, but they're still pretty tasty 12 hours later, although they do lose some of their crispiness.

We're definitely going to make these again. The empanada shells cost less than a dollar for a dozen. We'll plan to keep some with us, and instead of storing leftovers, we'll turn them into empanadas. I can see this working really well with a variety of veggie dishes, as well as leftover meats. If we have more time (or an oven), we'll try baking these to make them a bit healthier

Leave some suggestions for us in the comment section on how to make this recipe even better! Any ideas for new fillings?

-R