With a soft, crumbly and almost sweet dough that embraces a moist, tasty and meaty filling, it is hard not to eat one after the other. These Empanadas do have a curious name though. Especially when you consider their addicting nature.
I didn’t choose their name. No.The nuns from the Mexican Convent of our Lady of the Immaculate Conception are to blame.It all began with Beatriz da Silva, the Portuguese woman who founded the order in Toledo, Spain.
Known to be shockingly beautiful, although destined to be the companion to Queen Isabel from Spain, she was locked up because of the Queen’s jealousy and alleged admiration from the King. Legend goes, that when Beatriz managed to flee, she was more beautiful and had a new found strength she used to establish a new Conceptionist order.The three Conceptionist nuns who arrived in Mexico City around the 1540’s, were also known to be strong. If not as pretty.
Aside from trying to evangelize the population, they combined Spanish and Mexican ingredients in their kitchens, as most Spanish nuns, with an intense passion and a ton of imagination. As most Spanish nuns, as well, their cooking instincts were led by an insatiable sweet tooth. That may explain the sweet elements both in the dough and the filling of these Empanadas, that were served time and again to entertain guests in this convent.And now you know, where the name comes from…
The dough can be used both for sweet or savory Empanadas. As its sweetness is so mild, it enhances the flavors in savory fillings, such as the Meat Picadillo in this one, and it dances along sweet dessert ones.
It can be made in a snap by mixing cream cheese, butter, all purpose flour and a pinch of salt in the mixer. Or by hand.
It was originally made with Nata instead of Cream Cheese. Nata, which is a thin layer formed after boiling fresh raw milk, and found throughout Mexico in Haciendas and Ranchos, is sweet, extremely white and thick.
And oh so irresistible.
If you have access to Nata, use it instead of Cream Cheese, as those pioneer Conceptionist nuns did. But truth is, many nuns use Cream Cheese these days too…
The dough is malleable and soft. Juju made one batch with his hands. Proud monster.
It is easy to roll out as it is elastic, soft and not so sticky. But do sprinkle some flour as you roll…
To cut the rounds, you can use a pastry cutter. I found the size I wanted, a 4 inch round, in a Tupperware. Which was also easy for Juju to use.
As you separate the rounds…
…brush the edges with a lightly beaten egg.
Spoon the filling right down the center.
The Meat Picadillo is included in the recipe below. Picadillo, has many variations, but it typically has as a base of ground meat seasoned with garlic, onion, tomato puree, spices and sometimes nuts, olives and sweet ingredients like raisins or dried fruits. A complex version of Picadillo is used in the legendary Chiles en Nogada.
This is a simpler version, that can be made a couple days ahead of time. Just take it out of the refrigerator when you are ready to fill those Empanadas (If you have leftover Picadillo, you can make tacos, stuff chiles, tamales… or eat it with a side of rice or tortillas!)
Close up the bundle in the shape of a turnover.
Seal the edges pressing your fingers.
To really seal the deal, go around with a fork, gently, so as not to make many holes in the dough…
Give the Empanada a final egg wash.
Here we go, one after the other…
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. It makes them look beautiful. I think Beatriz da Silva would approve.
The sesame seeds also give the Empanadas a light nutty and toasty accent.
And in the oven they go. You can also make them ahead of time and place them in the refrigerator (for a couple of days) or freezer (for weeks!) before baking them.
Take them out as you need them and eat them freshly baked. As they should.
I think that you do taste all of the flavor, all of it, behind the history of these Empanadas, in each single bite.
Picadillo Empanadas
Recipe Yield
Cooking time
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Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 8 oz, about 185 g cream cheese or fresh nata at room temperature
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
For the picadillo (makes about 4 cups):
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup white onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 lb pork shoulder or butt or combination of pork, beef and veal, ground
- 3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1 lb ripe tomatoes pureed, or about 2 cups tomato puree
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- Pinch of cumin
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup Manzilla olives chopped
To Prepare
To make the dough:
- Beat the cream cheese with the butter in a mixer at medium speed, until it is creamy. Gently add the flour and salt and continue mixing for a minute more. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate from 15 minutes up to 24 hours.
- After refrigerating, sprinkle flour over the countertop and roll out half the dough until its about 1/4 inch thick. For medium sized empanadas, cut out rounds of 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Continue until all of the dough is used.
- Grease a baking sheet with butter. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the picadillo filling into the center of each round. Brush the edges of the round with the beaten egg. Fold a side of the circle over the filling across the other side. Press with your fingers as you close. Without breaking the dough, press with a fork over the edges to seal and make a design.
- Place the empanadas on the baking sheet. When you fill the baking sheet, lightly brush their tops with the lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake the empanadas anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops have a golden tan and dough is cooked through. Serve hot.
To make the picadillo:
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for a couple of minutes, until it becomes translucent and soft. Incorporate chopped garlic and saute for about a minute until it becomes fragrant. Incorporate the meat and the salt and let it cook for about 8 minutes, until cooked and lightly browned.
- Pour in tomato puree and let it season, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes, until it has deepened its color, thickened in consistency and lost the raw flavor. Pour in the chicken broth or water, cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Stir well and let it cook 15 minutes more.
- Add the raisins, almond and olives, mix well and taste for seasoning. Cook for 5 more minutes. If needed, add more salt. The filling should be nice and moist.
- Just remember, once it cools, it will dry a little more as it will absorb the juices. Turn off the heat. You can make the filling up to two days ahead of time, let it cool, cover and refrigerate.
Comments
60comments inPicadillo Empanadas
Bonny
Feb 04
I. Used the dough from this recipe to surround my own chicken chili filling. It was so easy to use and tasted delicious. I made it in the food processor with no problem.
Pati Jinich
Feb 08
Awesome to hear, great idea Bonny, thanks for sharing!
Stephanie
Jun 14
I love olives, I just can’t eat them cooked. I know that everyone tells me that’s wrong. Can I leave the olives out and substitute something else for the balance? Please help.
Pati Jinich
Nov 09
I would leave the olives out Stephanie, maybe I would add some capers or even some pickled jalapenos, yum!
Ana
Dec 22
These are amazing and the dough is super maleable. I’d like to make a sweet batch of “cajeta”… do you recommend any small alterations to the dough?
Pati Jinich
Dec 26
For sweet empanadas you may want to try this dough Ana, enjoy! http://patijinich.com/five-spice-pecan-plum-empanadas/
Kimberley Gilles
Oct 23
Can these be frozen, then baked? Can they be baked, then frozen?
Pati Jinich
Oct 29
I would bake first then freeze. Enjoy Kimberley 😉
Susan
Apr 13
I made these today. I loved the dough! It’s really easy to make and even easier to roll out. It was very fun to work with and tastes great! It’s perfect for baked empanadas because it is very rich but has a great texture. I had some problems with the filling. I think it was because I used canned tomato puree and I had too much liquid. I probably should have cooked it down for longer. But the flavor was good so I strained it for my second batch and that worked better. I will definitely use this dough recipe again and experiment with different fillings.
Pati Jinich
Apr 30
Thanks so much for your feedback Susan, so very glad to read you enjoyed the dough so much! 🙂
Kathleen Wolfe
Feb 27
Pati:
At 350 °? Time ? Love the story ! I ‘m making them today
Thanks
Kathy
Pati Jinich
Feb 27
Kathleen, go for 375 F and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown, but not too crispy. Good luck!
Sharon Vihinen
Jun 09
Your sweetness combine with your knowledge of food and love of family so beautifully! That’s the best recipe EVER. LOVE every minute of each of your offerings. Just copied this recipe I hope to share with my grandchildren.
THANK YOU
Sharon ♥️
Pati Jinich
Jun 10
I hope your grandchildren love them too, Sharon.
E Navarro
Apr 22
Hola, Pati. Question is will you be coming to Austin, TX in the near future?? Quite a number of people would love to have you here in our beautiful city of Austin.
Love all your recipes and your TV shows.
Pati
Apr 24
I would love to come to Austin…but no plans yet. Keep an eye out here, as my schedule always changes: http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/category/upcoming/
Cristy Brinkley
Jul 07
I have someone in my house who won’t eat cream cheese and can’t have cheese any suggestions on good substitute? I also follow you on Instagram.
Pati
Jul 13
Thanks for following me on Instagram! Just try making the empanadas with puff pastry. They will be delicious too!
irene
Apr 08
I’d like to see an empanada de calabaza…pumpkin empanadas…here in Los Angeles, California we tend to eat sweet empanadas moreso than meat filled…also, on line I found a dough recipe that used a van of beer and no other leavening agent. The empanadas came out nice, light and did not have a beer taste. Have you seen a recipe like that before?
Pati
Apr 09
Yes! Will try to post one soon, Irene. They are delicious.
Judy
Nov 30
Pati, Thank you for the empanada recipe. I would like to make these for the upcoming holiday season and desire to freeze them. Please tell me, if they are frozen, must I thaw before baking or simply place frozen on the cookie sheet and bake.
I enjoy your show and the recipes you share with us.
Thank you, Judy
Pati
Dec 01
Hi Judy, You’ll want to thaw them completely before baking. Thank you for making them!
Kelly
Feb 09
I am a huge fan of your work and I’ve made these for the last two years but then my daughter needed to go gluten free and every single empanada dough recipe I tried was awful.
So, I came back to this recipe and tried it with “Better Batter” gluten free flour and it worked!
Great to have these back in our rotation. Just thought I’d post in case others are out there searching.
Natasha
Dec 25
I enjoy this recipe. I did find that the pastry was a little too rich for me, so I tweaked it a little:
8 oz nata or cream cheese
2 1/3 C flour
*1/2 C (1 stick) of butter*
*1/4 teaspoon of baking powder*
1/2 teaspoon of salt
*Ice cold water as needed*
Thanks Patti!
Pati
Dec 27
Thanks for sharing, Natasha!
Katie S
May 11
SIM-PLI-CITY!!! Oh, Pati, I LOVE your recipe’s and show. So simple, so easy. Keep it up. Deliciously simple Mexican!!!
Pati
May 13
Thank you, Katie!!
Laurita
May 05
Pati,
Que rico!! Acabo de hacer unas empanadas usando esta masa, pero las llene algunas con frijoles refritos, cebolla, chiles, y queso asadero y las otras con carne, aji de color, cebolla, jalapeno. Salieron perfectos, dulces, suaves, sabrosas.
Gracias por la receta!!
Pati
May 06
Que rico Laurita!
Elizabeth
May 05
Hola Pati!
Thank you for your recipes. I would like to know if this empanadas can be fried? Mi esposo es mexicano y quisiera saber la receta de salsa de queso, si sabes de una por favor mandamela. Usualmente ordenamos salsa de queso cuando vamos para un restaurante mexicano and we dip the chips in it y sabe deliciosa! Muchisimas gracias!
Pati
May 06
Hola Elizabeth,
Estas empanadas no se fríen, van al horno. Y claro, con mucho gusto voy a tratar de poner una receta para salsa de queso pronto.
Elizabeth
May 14
Hola Pati!
Gracias por responder. Hice las empanadas con picadillo (a lo puertorriqueño) pero las empandadas sabian mucho a cream cheese, algo que a mi esposo mexicano no le gusta, jeje. Trate la misma masa de empandadas al otro dia, pero las rellene con calabaza, y que delicia. Le agregue un poco de pumpkin spice, vainilla y un poco de azucar a la masa y quedo fantastica! A mis hijos les encantaron y mi esposo quiso mas! Aunque no nos gusto mucho con la carne, si nos gusto a nuestro paladar en lo dulce. La verdad es que me gusta la masa por que verdaderamente uno puede jugar con la receta y da muy buenos resultados. Voy a tratar de hacer la misma masa pero en vez de cream cheese la voy hacer con mascarpone chesse como otra persona lo hiso. Muchisimas gracias!!
Brenda
Apr 08
can you Please, give me the measure ments to this recepie mom had. A friend brought it back from Venezuela..
lbs. hamburger meat
tsp italian seasoning
tsp garlic
sm onion.. chopped fine
medium bell pepper, chopped fine
drops hot pepper sauce
tsp salt
can tomatoe paste
She use to make them all the time for holidays, etc.
we loved them. but in her cook book I did not see how much of this or that.
thank you:Brenda
Pati
Apr 09
oh boy… will have to give it a try… but sounds like you have the measurements sort of pinned down!
Brenda
Apr 08
Empanadas.. Fried meat pies from Venezuela:
not sure of the ingrediants measurements are:
hamburger meat…. tsp. italian seasoning…..tsp garlic…. small onion. chippied fine….. medium bell pepper, chopped fine…. drops hot pepper sauce… tsp. salt… can tomatoe paste.
i don’t recall having how much this or that, but I had put it in the church cook book and they must have.. can you tell me for sure..
… lbs. hamberger meat
… tsp. italian seasoning
… tsp. garlic
… small onion
.. tsp salt
… can tomatoe paste
drops hot pepper suace
I would like to make them like mom did. She it from a friend who lived in Venezuela for a time, she came back and showed mom…
Thank you VERY much..
Brenda Blankenship
Pati
Apr 09
Yum Brenda!!
leslie
Jan 18
I want to do this empanadas but I wish I could fill them with some cajeta what do U think is it possible I love your tv show by the way 😉
Pati
Jan 18
Absolutely leslie! You can fill them with whatever filling you want and Cajeta will be exquisite. Post a photo on my FB page!
Rosa Maria Herrera Magallanes
Nov 27
Pati, I have a request for a recipe called Turcos, my mother told me that the recipe was from Monterrey, Mexico. They are like enpanadas and it is pork loin meat which is cooked (maybe boiled) then chopped and cooked again in a little lard with chopped raisins, pecans, almonds, sugar (maybe it is piloncillo, or brown sugar) powder cinnamon, cloves and red chili powder. I do not know if these are the correct ingredients or the amounts. Maybe you or one of your viewers knows what I am talking about and could give me the recipe. I also, need the recipe for the dough.
Thank you, in advance for any consideration you give to my request.
Rosa Maria Herrera Magallanes
Pati Jinich
Nov 29
Rosa, These sound delicious! I don’t have a recipe off-hand, but I will try to get something up soon. Thank you very much for taking a moment to write me with your request. All the best.
Sue
Jul 30
HI Pati, Do you have any suggestions for side dishes or salsa to serve with these? I have made the filling, which is yummy, and will serve the empanadas tomorrow. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Pati Jinich
Aug 01
Hola Sue, Here are some salsas to choose from http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/01-recipes/02-salsas-and-pickles/. It all depends on what flavors you prefer 🙂
Bety
May 22
!recitas son maravillas! Busco tamales con peras.
Norma
Jul 28
Hola Pati!
Prepare esta masa para empanadas, pero en vez de queso crema y la imposiblidad de encontrar nata aqui, se me ocurrio usar queso Mascarpone que es mas dulce que el queso crema y me quedo maravillosa, sedoza y delicada. Hice la mitad rellenas de dulce y la mitad saladas. De lujo!
Saludos.
evelyne
Jul 15
is there any way i can get this recipe or any other one in spanish
Pati Jinich
Jul 21
Hi Evelyne, Unfortunately I don’t have this recipe in Spanish. If that changes, I will be sure to post it for you.
evelyne
Jul 21
thank you any ways
Jim R.
Aug 22
Google and type “translate”. A window comes up to enter text and language you want. This may not be perfect as I can’t read Spanish so I can’t tell, but hopefully close enough…
Ingredientes
1 libra de hombro de cerdo o culo, o combinación de carne de cerdo, ternera y ternera, cortada en trozos de 3 a 4 pulgadas
2 dientes de ajo
1/4 cebolla blanca
1 zanahoria pelada, cortada en dos
2 hojas de laurel
1/4 cucharadita de tomillo seco o un par de ramitas frescas
5 granos de pimienta negra
1 cucharadita de kosher o sal de mar de curso
3 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
1 diente de ajo finamente picado
1/4 taza de cebolla blanca picada
1 libra de tomates maduros puré, o alrededor de 2 tazas de puré de tomate
Toda la carne cocida finamente picada
1 1/2 tazas de la carne de caldo de cocina o caldo de pollo
3/4 cucharadita de sal kosher o grosera de mar
Pizca de comino
Pizca de clavo molido
1 ceilán o palillo de cinamón verdadero
1/4 taza de pasas
1/4 taza de almendras asadas ligeramente tostadas
1/4 taza de aceitunas manzanilla
Preparar
Coloque los trozos de carne en una olla con 2 dientes de ajo, 1/4 de cebolla blanca, zanahoria, hojas de laurel, tomillo, pimienta y una cucharadita de sal. Cubrir con agua y colocar a fuego medio-alto. Cocine a fuego lento durante 20 a 25 minutos, hasta que la carne esté cocida. Apague el fuego y deje que la carne y el caldo se enfríen. Retire la carne con una cuchara ranurada. Cortar finamente con un cuchillo afilado y reserva. Colar el caldo en un recipiente y reservar.
Calentar el aceite de oliva en una sartén grande a fuego medio-alto. Añadir la cebolla y saltear durante un par de minutos, hasta que se convierte en translúcido y suave. Incorporar el ajo picado y saltear por un minuto hasta que se vuelve fragante.
Verter el puré de tomate y dejar que sazone, revolviendo a menudo, durante 5 a 7 minutos, hasta que se ha profundizado en el color, espesado en la consistencia y perdió el sabor crudo.
Incorporar la carne picada, el caldo de cocción y la sal. Mezclar todo y dejar cocer durante 3 a 4 minutos.
Espolvorear en el comino, los clavos y el palo de canela. Cubra la olla, baje el fuego a medio y cocine durante 8 a 10 minutos más.
Descubra la olla, agregue las pasas, las almendras y las aceitunas, mezcle bien y pruebe el condimento. Si es necesario añadir más sal y un poco más de la carne de caldo de cocina por lo que el relleno es agradable y húmedo.
Sólo recuerde, una vez que se enfría, se seque un poco más, ya que absorbe los jugos. Giro del calor. Puede hacer el llenado hasta dos días antes de tiempo. Dejar enfriar, cubrir y refrigerar.
Pati
Aug 22
Also I will have a Spanish version up very soon!
maria
Jun 23
Thank you so much Pati for the recipe of the pumpkin empanadas.
The pastry I tasted from Corpus Christi had like anise or some kind of spice that made it sweet in the empanadas. I hope you can help me. I loved their empanadas with pumpkin and my family did too. I hope you can help. Thank you so much Pati.
GiGi
Dec 16
Great dough recipe, I tried it with my own filling, buttery, flakey and light! 🙂
Pati Jinich
Dec 19
Yum!
Marcela Beatty
Aug 19
Your pictures are lovely!
Love this recipe! Se me antojan ahorita!!!!
Beautiful! Beautiful!
Pati Jinich
Aug 21
Muchas gracias, que bueno que te gustaron!!
Matt
Aug 14
Mmmmm… I really enjoy your site Pati. Each recipe not only is made with good ingredients but come with a sense of tradition and a nice personal story. This recipe makes me sad though – I found a similar dough recipe from Cuba long ago. Falling in love with empanadas after many trips to Chile, I substituted the Cuban dough recipe I found because it was more moist and tastier than the traditional Chilean one. The cream cheese was the reason. And oy, my secret is out. I have to find Nata and give it a try. In San Francisco that shouldn’t be too hard. Anyway, all of your things are wonderful. Mil gracias!
Pati Jinich
Aug 15
Matt, thank YOU for your comments! I agree, the cream cheese in the dough makes it so soft and flaky. In Mexico it is very hard to find nata in grocery stores, not so much in the US, but if you find it, give it a try! It gives it a Rancho flavor: fabulous.
shayma
Aug 12
spread on bread w a sprinkle of sugar or even better, eaten alongside fresh mangoes! decadence. x shayma
Pati Jinich
Aug 13
Alongside fresh mangoes sounds exquisite!
shaymma
Aug 12
beautiful story and recipe. nata- we call it malaa-ee in Urdu. another thing we have in common 🙂 hope youre having a gorgeous time. x shayma
Pati Jinich
Aug 12
Thank you Shayma! Tell me, how do you eat malaa-ee? I used to eat nata, scooped right out from the pot, spread on crusty fresh bread…. With hot chocolate on the side.