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Cheese Empanadas

on south american, vegetarian

Mom (Grandma Susan) spent months working on the perfect cheese empanada recipe, which was unveiled to a skeptical group of children at Thanksgiving 2019. They were a hit with both the kids and adults that year, and you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not also make Ají and Peruvian Onions to go along with these.

Yield: about 20 empanadas

Ingredients:

  • Empanada Pastry Recipe prepared and cut into 4” rounds—can be made ahead and frozen between parchment. Bring to room temp in single layer while preparing cheese.
  • ½ pound good Gruyere, shredded
  • ½ pound Port Salut cheese. Freeze until hard, and shred
  • 1-2 eggs
  • 1 cup AP flour

Prepare Filling:

  1. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Allow cheese to come up to room temperature.
  2. On a piece of parchment paper, form the combined cheeses into a rectangle, about 15” long, and ¾” thick. (See Here)
  3. Cut the rectangle into strips, and then cut each strip into 2” pieces.
  4. Gently form each piece into a rod that is about ½ to ¾” thick, and 2” long. (You should have about 40 pieces)
  5. Whisk eggs together, adding a bit of water to make an egg wash, place in a shallow dish.
  6. Put flour into a separate shallow dish.
  7. Dip each rod into the egg wash, and then roll lightly in flour. Set each piece on a clean sheet of parchment.

Fill the Empanadas:

  1. Line the pastry rounds on a piece of parchment paper in rows.
  2. Lightly brush the outer edges of all the rounds with egg wash.
  3. Place one cheese rod in each round and fold the pastry over the rod to form a crescent. The pastry dough is really pliable, so you can stretch it a bit without worrying about ripping it.
  4. Join the edges of the crescent, pressing together to seal.
  5. Ensure that the edges are well-sealed by crimping them with a fork.
  6. Brush egg wash all over the top of the empanadas.
  7. Very Important Cut two slits in each empanada with the tip of a paring knife — This allows the empanada to vent, without leaking all over the oven.
  8. Freeze the Empanadas for at least 30 minutes, or longer if making ahead, before baking.

Bake the Empanadas:

  1. Pre-heat air-fry oven to 400 degrees
  2. When oven is hot, remove empanadas from freezer and air-fry/bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure that the empanadas brown, but don’t burn or leak all the cheese. Err on the side of just done, rather than over-done.
  3. Remove from oven, cool for 1-2 minutes on a wire rack. Serve immediately. They aren’t good cooled.