Spinach Empanadas
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped ⓘ
- 1/3 cup olive oil ⓘ
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped ⓘ
- 1 1/2 cups roma tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and chopped ⓘ
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped ⓘ
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ⓘ
- salt ⓘ
- pepper ⓘ
- Dough ⓘ
- 2 cups flour ⓘ
- 1/2 teaspoon salt ⓘ
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons butter ⓘ
- 4 tablespoons lard (or vegetable shortening) ⓘ
- 1 whole egg ⓘ
- 1 egg yolk ⓘ
Instructions
- Steam the spinach in a steamer until wilted, but not mushy--just a minute or two in the steamer.
- Heat the olive oil in a saute pan; when it is moderately hot, quickly stir in garlic and tomatoes, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and let cool; mix in the cooked spinach, salt and pepper to taste.
- Dough: sift the flour with the salt and baking powder; place half the flour mixture in a big mixing bowl; make a well in the center.
- Place the butter, large, eggs, and water in the well.
- Mix at low speed to form a paste.
- Continue to mix in the remaining flour mixture until all is added; you may need to add water--slowly and in small quantities--until the dough reaches the right consistency.
- The dough should be soft and pliable, like pie dough.
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour a work surface; divide the dough into 4 pieces (keep the pieces you aren't using in the refrigerator until you need them).
- Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick.
- Use a large round cookie cutter or bowl (about 4 inches in diameter) to cut circles from the dough.
- Use a slotted spoon (to allow any excess liquid to drain from the filling) and put some filling in the center of the circle and fold over to make a half circle; don't overfill.
- Seal the edges of the dough with your fingers or with a fork to make a scalloped edge.
- Get a large frying pan and add enough vegetable oil to cover the empanadas completely; heat the oil to the frying stage, about 350°.
- Fry the empanadas in oil, turning occasionally until brown on all sides; drain on paper towels; serve hot.
- **You may also bake these in the oven on a lightly greased baking sheet at 350° for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)
1391
kcal
70% DV
Protein
Fat
Carbs
* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).