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Sweet and Savory Pork Empanadas

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Sweet and Savory Pork Empanadas

  • make ahead MAKE-AHEAD
ACTIVE TIME: 1 HR
TOTAL TIME: 2 HRS 30 MIN
MAKES 18 EMPANADAS
Valeria says, "Chileans typically eat empanadas on Sundays. Each time I prepare them, my granddaughters help me. I like to shape them differently so everybody knows what they are eating: the beef-filled ones are always triangular and the cheese ones are shaped into half moons." These succulent empanadas—full of juicy pork, raisins and onions—are shaped into rectangles.
ingredients

DOUGH

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

FILLING

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, very finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, finely chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup amber beer
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic paste or sambal oelek
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and very finely chopped
  • 3 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
  • 6 pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins
directions
  1. MAKE THE DOUGH: In a small bowl, beat 3 of the egg yolks with the whole egg. In a large bowl, whisk 3 1/2 cups of the flour with the salt. With a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until it’s evenly distributed in tiny flecks. Add the wine, 1/4 cup of the milk and the beaten eggs and stir until a soft dough forms. Pat the dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the 1 remaining egg yolk with the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk; cover the bowl and keep the egg wash chilled.
  3. MAKE THE FILLING: In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is browned, about 8 minutes longer.
  4. Meanwhile in a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped pork, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until the pork is golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir and cook until no pink remains, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in the browned onions, beer, soy sauce, paprika, chile paste, cumin and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the filling to a large bowl. Stir in the hard-cooked eggs, olives and raisins and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350°. Turn one disk of dough out onto a floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into a 15-by-12-inch rectangle; discard the scraps. Cut the dough into nine 4-by-5-inch rectangles. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto one side of each rectangle. Moisten the edges with water and close the empanadas, pressing the edges to seal. Transfer the empanadas to a large rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the second disk of dough and the remaining filling.
  6. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake them for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the empanadas are golden brown, then serve.

MAKE AHEAD The baked empanadas can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat them before serving.

Recipe by Valeria Huneeus
From Easter with Chile’s Wine Visionaries
This recipe originally appeared in April, 2007.