I used to work with a woman named JoAnne who made magical empanadas. Her doughs were light and flaky, and her fillings were extraordinary. It would make my day when JoAnne showed up at work with a huge, foil-covered plate.
I’ve never perfected her dough (she wouldn’t give me the recipe, family secret), so I gave up trying. However, I’ve gotten pretty close to one of her fillings using a slow-cooked rump roast, on sale this week at Brookshire’s.
You can make the beef ahead of time if you want, and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also use a pie crust cut into rounds with a drinking glass or your own dough for this recipe. My favorite part of this is the avocado cream sauce, which I’ve been known to use for dunking my empanada instead of drizzling the sauce on top. Adding jalapeño peppers to the beef mixture makes it spicier, and you can also add a few drops of hot sauce to the avocado cream.
Beef Empanadas with Avocado Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
2 lb rump roast
1 white onion, diced
1 Tbs garlic, chopped
4 Tbs cilantro
1 cup salsa verde
1 pkg wonton wrappers
2 egg whites, beaten
1 avocado, mashed
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs heavy cream or milk
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Place rump roast in a slow cooker. Add in onions, garlic and cilantro. Top with salsa verde. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or until fork-tender. Shred meat. Drain MOST of the liquid, leaving enough so that the filling is not dry. Set aside to cool.
When meat is cooler, place 2 heaping tablespoons into the middle of 1 wonton wrapper. Fold in half once diagonally. Then, fold the edges up toward the middle, and fold the triangular edge toward the middle as well to make an envelope for the filling. Place on a baking sheet and brush with egg whites. Bake at 375° F for 10 minutes or until golden-brown.
Whip sour cream with avocado until well-blended. Thin the mixture with milk or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle on top of empanadas or use as a dipping sauce. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information: Calories Per Serving: 449, Calories from Fat: 215, Fat: 24 g, Trans Fat: 0 g (6 g Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 17 mg, Sodium: 267 mg, Potassium: 276 mg, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 2 g, Protein: 51 g