Empanadas

Empanadas are the “hot dogs” of Chile. They are sold everywhere and every occasion is an empanada opportunity. Ciervo loves empanadas, so I’m committed to learning how to make them. I gave it a try the other night, and want to share my instructions on making the perfect empanada. (Please remember my lack of cooking utensils, formal recipe and general cooking knowledge.)

1) Heat a smattering of oil in “the skillet that burns everything” until hot. Add some onion and garlic and cook until dark brown. Throw out and start again.

2) Add some ground beef to second successful onion/garlic sauté. Turn the heat down because it’s all you have left. Get excited and add too much cumin. Drown out the cumin with too much salt. Add pepper because it’s the only other spice you have.

3) Once the beef is cooked, add the golden raisins you spent an hour looking for at the Jumbo. Mix with wooden spoon, spilling ½ of it over the side. Set aside.

4) To make the dough, mix some flour, water, and a giant spoonful butter together until it looks like dough. Add salt because it seems like the right thing to do.

5) Roll out small pieces of dough using the side of a drinking glass. Find this next to impossible and swear at the dough.

6) Grab a handful of chips and stuff them in your mouth because they are there.

7) Add a mound of meat to the middle of doughball and fold over pressing the edges together. Get angry because it doesn’t look like the ones in the store.

8) Bake them with the oven in the “on” position until edges are burnt and middle is not quite cooked through. Swear again. Open a bottle of wine and get out the guacamole for the chips.

9) Make some interesting creation with the rest of the meat mixture and yesterday’s leftover pasta and say you planned it that way. It doesn’t matter what it tastes like because you’re not hungry after all those chips.

10) Make note to buy the darn things in the frozen food section next time.

Enjoy,
Sisma



Forget empanadas - Sarafina will take a hotdog any day!