An Extra Special Treat, Cheesy Chorizo Empanadas

I drove clear across town with my bestie Veronica, to visit my favorite German deli last week and stock up on some of their famous smoked Bratwurst. Unfortunately it has become another casualty of the Corona virus. The doors and windows were boarded up and there wasn’t a soul in sight. It was a such sad, sad day for me indeed. I’m still bummed that I will no longer be able to pick up their authentic brats. They were EPIC! Sigh…

Veronica saved the day. It just so happened that her favorite Mexican deli, bakery and grocery store were right across the street. I love shopping with someone who knows what to buy. I’m right at home in a German deli but when it comes to a Mexican deli, I’m at a loss. I don’t know the good stuff to buy, but Veronica knew exactly what to get.

We feasted on the best Churros I’ve ever had and Chicharrones (more on that in another post) which I never heard of before. Why have I never heard of Chicharrones before and where have they been all my life??? She also recommended their fresh Chorizo sausage. So I picked up a couple pounds. What do you do when you score some really good, flavorful, fresh Chorizo sausage? Why you make some stellar, awesome Empanadas! That’s what you do!

I will be honest, these do take a considerable amount of time to make, but you will be rewarded with one of the most flavorful, mouthwateringly delicious appetizers you have ever eaten! Break open the crisp, flaky crust to a melty, cheesy, slightly spicy Chorizo filling. Dip them in a creamy Guacamole style sauce and your tastebuds will think they died and went to heaven!!!

So the next time you have an afternoon to spend in your kitchen and you can get your hands on some really good Chorizo sausage, YOU MUST MAKE THESE EMPANADAS! A huge shout out to Laylita’s Recipes at laylita.com for this phenomenal recipe! I’ve never made empanadas before, and they are actually easier to make than it may seem. I break it down, step by step so anyone can do it! Trust me…these are a homerun!!!

Begin by gathering together the ingredients you need to make the filling. Half an onion, finely diced, 1 lb. Chorizo sausage, 1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese.

Crumble 4 oz. Queso Fresco cheese. If you are unfamiliar with Queso Fresco, think of it as the Mexican version of Feta cheese. It has the same texture with a similar flavor. You can easily find it at most major grocery stores.

Slice a Jalapeño pepper if you want to make these extra spicy. Adding Jalapeños is totally optional. I left them out since the creamy guacamole sauce has Jalapeños in it and I didn’t want these to be too spicy.

Now that you have all the filling ingredients prepped, it’s time to get cooking. Begin by melting a tablespoon butter in a large skillet.

Sauté 1/2 a finely diced onion over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Once the onions are soft, add the Chorizo sausage and it break up with a spatula as it browns.

While the sausage browns, grind up Achiote kernels into a fine powder. I used my coffee grinder to grind up the kernels.

Add a tablespoon of the ground Achiote powder to the onion and Chorizo.

Stir to combine. Once Chorizo is cooked through, remove the skillet from the heat and allow the meat filling mixture to come to room temperature.

While the filling cools it’s time to make the dough for the empanadas. Gather together, flour, baking powder, salt, butter and sparkling water.

Place 3 cups flour in a food processor.

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Pulse to combine.

Cut butter into pats and add to the four mixture. Pulse until combined with the flour mixture.

Add sparkling water a little at a time. Pulse until dough starts to form.

Once dough begins to form into a ball remove from food processor.

Knead a few times to bring the dough together into a smooth ball.

Coat dough with olive oil and place in a large bowl.

Cover and allow dough to rest for about an hour.

While the dough is resting, it’s time to make the dipping sauce for the empanadas. Gather together the ingredients; 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 bunch cilantro, 4 limes, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Cumin, 2 avocados and 2 Jalapeño peppers.

Juice the limes.

Roughly chop Jalapeños. Remove seeds if you don’t want too much heat.

Place cilantro, lime juice, and minced garlic in a food processor.

Add chopped Jalapeños and cumin.

Add salt.

Add avocados.

Pulse to combine ingredients. Pour in olive oil and continue to pulse.

Continue to pulse until you have a nice smooth mixture and all the ingredients are well combined.

Pour mixture into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Once the dipping sauce is chilling in the fridge it’s time to assemble the empanadas. Divide dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Using a 4 inch cookie cutter, glass or small plate cut out rounds.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough nice and thin.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture and a generous tablespoon of cheeses in the center of each dough round.

Fold dough in half, enclosing the filling. Using your fingers, press the edges of the dough firmly together to seal in the filling.

Once the edges are sealed, start at one end and roll the dough edge over forming a pretty rolled pleated edge. Fold the dough up and over working your way all the way to the other end. Tuck the end underneath and pinch firmly to seal.

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Refrigerate empanadas for at least 1 hour before cooking them. These could be made a day in advance and refrigerated overnight.

TIP: Refrigerating the empanadas before frying them helps prevent the filling from leaking out as you cook them.

Heat enough oil in a skillet over medium high heat, so that it comes about half way up the sides of the empanadas. Fry empanadas, a few at a time until they are golden brown and crisp. About 1-2 minutes per side.

When empanadas are golden brown, use tongs to remove them from the skillet and allow them to drain on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining empanadas.

TIP: Extra uncooked empanadas can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Serve fried empanadas warm with the cool, creamy dipping sauce.

Your mouth is going to do a happy dance when you bite into these delectable little pockets of yumminess!!! The savory spiciness from the chorizo, paired with the creamy gooey cheeses and the crunchy outer shell dipped in the cool creamy guacamole sauce…oh my goodness, these are an amazing contrast of flavors! Spicy, creamy, cheesy, crunchy, they’ve got it all going on!!!

These do take some time to make, but it’s not hard to make them, and I promise you they are well worth the effort!!!

Did You Make This?

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