Mediterranean Empanadas Recipes

Steps:

• Combine chicken strips, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine tomato and onion with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Cook chicken in a hot skillet until juices run clear, 5 to 8 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken in the skillet. Add lemon juice to finish cooking.
• Divide pizza dough into 6 sections. Roll each section into a 6-inch circle on a floured surface, working fresh basil into the dough as you roll.
• Layer spinach, chicken, mozzarella, and tomato mixture on one half of each circle. Fold over to cover the filling and press the curved edge to seal.
• Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with olive oil and transfer to the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Prepare filling: Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large, nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add olives, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in chopped eggs.
• Scrape mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, 1 to 2 hours; this ensures the dough will not be soggy when the empanadas are baked.
• Prepare dough: Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Whisk cold water, egg, and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour into the dry ingredients and blend with a fork. Use your hands to finish blending the ingredients until they come together in a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut circles, rerolling the scraps as necessary. I got about 18 circles.
• Hold each circle in your hand and place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Gently fold the ends over the top and press to seal all the way around. Reserve extra filling for another use.
• Set empanadas on a baking sheet. Press around the sealed edges with a fork if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on the bottoms, about 18 minutes. Flip and bake until the other side is browned, about 5 more minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, Sofrito, Sazon, garlic, oregano and black pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
• On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out discos until 1/2-inch larger in diameter. Spoon about 1 tbsp. meat mixture into middle, fold in half to form a half moon; moisten edges with water and pinch to seal closed, or seal with a fork.
• Fill a deep saucepan with oil to a depth of 2 1/2-inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking (350 degrees F on deep-fry thermometer). Cook Empanadas in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.