Name: Empanadas de Doña Garcia – CPO Ryan
Ingredients: 1 tsp Goya Adobo; 4 tsp Salt (Separate in to two equal portions); 2 Potatoes, Large; 1 Green Pepper; 1 Onion; 2 lbs Total of Ground Beef and/or Chorizo; 2 Bay Leaves; 3 oz Pimento Stuffed Olives; 2 cups Water; 2 Packages of Sazon Seasoning; 4 Cloves Garlic; 2 Sticks of Margarine; 3 cups Boiling Water

AuthorSamuel Dietzmann

Family recipe that was refined with the help of The Explorers Cookbook and Travel Guide by Yvonne Addario

Makes about 30 empanadas.

Of all the ingredients, this is the most important. Your community. This is a celebration with the kitchen as the center of activity. There should be music playing, dancing and drinks. I was the last person my deceased former mother-in-law, Doña Olga Garcia, cooked empanadas with. She shared the family secret for these empanadas with me much to the chagrin of many. And this is it. Never cook these alone. The experience and the bounty needs be shared with friends and family. This is why you are making 30 of them. Everyone may go home with empanadas, but the gift was each other.

[cooked-sharing]

Yields1 Serving

1 tsp Goya Adobo

4 tsp Salt (Separate in to two equal portions)

2 Potatoes, Large

1 Green Pepper

1 Onion

2 lbs Total of Ground Beef and/or Chorizo

2 Bay Leaves

3 oz Pimento Stuffed Olives

2 cups Water

2 Packages of Sazon Seasoning

4 Cloves Garlic

2 Sticks of Margarine

3 cups Boiling Water

Chop or grind garlic, after pealing, to desired consistency. Mix with adobo and half of the salt.

Chop potatoes into small-ish cubes, and cook boil them in water on medium heat for two minutes.

Mix in a pan with chopped green peppers, onion, and garlic mix, olives, Sazon, meat choices, oil and bay leaves on medium heat.

Drain potatoes and add them to pan.

Stir occasionally until all the meat and potatoes are cooked.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour, margarine or butter, and salt with boiling water.

Need dough. Seriously, you knead dough for this part. Add flour as necessary. Dough will be ready when it no longer sticks to your hands.

Make as many balls as possible that are two to three inches in diameter.

Dust a flat surface with flour and flatten each ball into a plantilla. Each plantilla should be an eighth inch thick.

In the center of each plantilla drop one or two tablespoons of meat mix into it. The key here is not too much where you tear the plantilla when you fold it in half, but not too little where it is a wimp-enada.

Fold in half. Using a fork, press the borders of the half-moon to seal the mix inside. This is the empanada.

Pour oil into a deep-frying pan. ¾ to 1 inch ( 20-25 milliliters) deep and heat to 350 degrees (177 Celsius). Placing three or so empanadas at a time into the boiling oil cook and turn until the puffed up and golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Keep an eye on your oil levels. When you refresh oil, allow to come up to temperature before frying the next batch.

Ingredients