Colombian Empanadas With Hot Sauce Recipe 415

Steps:

• Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Put them in a pot, cover them with enough water and add salt. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes on medium heat or until soft. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and roughly mash them. To make the dough, add hot water to a large bowl, add the chicken bouillon, Sazón Goya, salt and butter. Stir well to mix all of the ingredients. Slowly add the cornmeal to the water and stir with a big spoon. When all of the corn meal has been added, work the dough with your hands until it becomes soft. Let rest for 20 minutes. Add oil to a large pan on medium heat. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, tomatoes, onion powder, salt, cilantro, and cumin. Cook this guiso (sauce) for about 5 minutes. Add the beef to the guiso and cook it thoroughly. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well to make the filling. To make the empanadas, put a small ball of dough in the center of a tortilla press covered with plastic and press to flatten it. You can also put the small ball of dough between two pieces of plastic and flatten it with a small saucepan. Add a tablespoon of the filling. Fold the circle of dough in half to form a half moon. Cut off the edge of the half moon with a cup or drinking glass. This will shape your empanada and seal it at the same time. Another way to make them is pressing the edge with your fingers and folding the extra dough inwards, this will prevent the filling from coming out during frying. Once you have all of your empanadas ready, you can fry them in a deep frier with enough oil at 350ºF. You can also fry them on the stove at medium high temperature. Fry the empanadas for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Then put them on a paper towels to drain them. Serve them hot with Colombian hot sauce and lime wedges. HOT SAUCE: Add water, vinegar, habanero peppers, onion, sugar, oil, lime juice and salt to a blender and blend well. Add cilantro, red bell pepper and tomatoes. Pulse once or twice to mix the ingredients without blending. If you wish to have a stronger onion flavor you can add the green onion in this step instead of the previous one.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the meat, onions, carrot and potato and saute until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the tomato, cilantro, eggs, capers, salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll out the chilled pastry to 1/4 inch thick and cut out 3 inch diameter rounds (you should get about 40). Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on half of the rounds, and cover the filling with the remaining half of the rounds. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Place the filled empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Steps:

• Prepare the filling: Place potato cubes in a medium saucepan, cover with water and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until cubes are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, using a flat palm, press the cut side of the tomato against the large holes of a box grater and grate the tomato until you're left with just the skin. (The skin should protect your hand from the grater.) Discard the skin, then transfer the tomato and any juices to a small bowl. Set aside.
• In a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat vegetable oil until shimmering. Add beef or pork, and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until the pieces are quite small and completely cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion, scallion, paprika, bouillon (if using), and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Immediately add the grated tomato and its juices, and cook, stirring, until the mixture is quite dry, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer meat mixture to the bowl with potatoes and stir together with a fork, letting the potato get roughly mashed up. (The filling should form cohesive balls when gently packed.) Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, bouillon and pepper to taste. Allow to cool completely. Spreading it out on a large plate or tray and placing it in the fridge will speed up this process.
• Assemble the empanadas: Divide masa into 24 golf-ball-size balls. Working one ball at a time, place inside a plastic zip-top bag and press down with the bottom of a skillet to form a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Carefully remove from the bag and transfer to a clean cutting board or tray. Repeat with remaining dough balls, laying them out side by side. Cover the disks with a clean, lightly damp kitchen towel.
• Working one empanada at a time, place about 2 teaspoons of meat mixture in the center of the disk. Lift the front and back edges and seal them at the top by gently pushing them together. Seal the empanada, working from the center outward until both ends are completely sealed. Gently curve the empanada to form a slight crescent with the sealed edge at the top. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
• In a large Dutch oven or wok over high, heat 2 quarts oil until it registers 375 degrees on an instant-read or frying thermometer. Using a metal spider or slotted spoon, lower empanadas into the hot oil one at a time. You should be able to cook about six empanadas per batch. Cook empanadas, adjusting heat to maintain an oil temperature of 325 to 375 degrees, until empanadas are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or metal spider, transfer empanadas to a paper-towel-lined plate or bowl and immediately season with salt.
• Serve empanadas hot, with a bowl of ají and a spoon to drizzle the sauce over the empanadas and into them as you eat.