Cajun Spiced Empanadas

TO MAKE THE EMPANADA DOUGH: Put 3 1/2 cups bread mix and the chilled butter pieces into a large bowl. Using either your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse pea-size crumbs, careful not to over blend so that the butter does not melt too much. Slowly add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time using a fork to blend with the dough. When the dough just begins to come together use your hands to bring it together. The dough should not be too sticky or so dry that it is falling apart. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to use.

TO MAKE FILLING: Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high. Add beef and crumble it while cooking into pea-size pieces, mixing it well with the pepper mixture. Add the rest of ingredients and sauté until all the juice has evaporated from pan and meat is fully cooked. Take mixture off stove and allow to cool to room temperature before filling the empanadas.

TO MAKE THE EMPANADAS: Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out a long sheet of wax or parchment paper and dust lightly with bread mix. Set dough on sheet and press down with hands to form an even round, then dust top with additional bread mix. Place another sheet of wax or parchment paper over top and roll dough out until approximately 3/4-inch thick. Using a 4-inch round pastry cutter, or anything approximately that big in your kitchen, cut out circles. Lightly dust another smaller piece of parchment paper, then set one circle down, dust top and roll out to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. The dough circles will be approximately 6 inches in diameter. Dough scraps can be gathered together and rolled back out to cut.

Grease a cookie sheet. Beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside. Put two heaping spoonfuls of the beef mixture in the center of the dough. Using either a pastry brush or your fingers, brush a small amount of the beaten egg all along the edges of the dough. Gently fold the dough over and match the ends together, lightly pressing down to seal any open spaces. Press fork tines all along the edge of the empanada and place finished pastry on the cookie sheet. Repeat for the rest of the empanadas. Once the empanadas are all on pan, brush the tops of each with beaten egg. Bake 17 to 20 minutes, or until dough is lightly browned, with browner edges. Take out and serve with a dab of chipotle cream sauce for dipping.

TO MAKE THE CHIPOTLE CREAM SAUCE: Blend all sauce ingredients in a blender at high speed until fully blended. Sauce can be refrigerated until ready for use.

Note

The beef mixture and dough can be made the day before assembling empanadas. Refrigerate beef mixture until ready for use. Freeze dough overnight, then take out the next day and thaw at room temperature or in refrigerator. Assemble as instructed above.

If you run out of bread mix needed for dusting during the forming of empanadas, you can substitute Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix.

If you'd like a spicier filling, leave in some of the seeds of the peppers, but be warned—the sauce and filling are pretty spicy already! For less spicy empanadas, reduce jalapeño and ancho chilies. The chipotle cream sauce also makes a great dip for chips and vegetables.

© Pamela's Products, Inc.