Oozing Cheese And Bean Empanadas

Recipe Ingredients

		For The Dough
2 1/2 cups	156g / 5.5oz	All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon	15ml	Sugar
1 teaspoon	5ml	Baking powder
3/4 teaspoon	3.8ml	Salt
3/4 teaspoon	3.8ml	Ground nutmeg
1/4 cup	49g / 1.7oz	Cold butter - chopped
1/4 cup	59ml	Vegetable oil
3		Egg yolks
1 cup	237ml	Milk
		For The Filling
1/3 lb	151g / 5.3oz	Shredded Colby cheese - or
		Monterey jack cheese
2 cups	320g / 11oz	Cooked red kidney beans - drained
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Paprika
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Salt
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Cayenne pepper
2		Egg whites

Recipe Instructions

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Blend in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk in the oil, egg yolks, and half of the milk; gradually blend in the rest of the milk, forming a dough. Knead the dough briefly, until smooth, then set aside 10 to 15 minutes to rest.

To make the filling, combine the cheese, beans, paprika, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and blend well. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form stiff peaks and then blend into the cheese and bean mixture.

Preheat the oven to 375Fs.

Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. On a lightly floured board, roll each ball into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. If the dough is too moist, sprinkle with a little flour. Place some of the bean and cheese mixture on one-half of each circle and then fold the dough over, enclosing the mixture and forming a half-moon shape. Press the edges with a fork to seal; prick the surface several times.

Place the empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool before serving.

Variation . . . Substitute 2 pounds of commercial biscuit dough for the homemade dough (i.e., refrigerator biscuits). Follow the baking times on the package; most take only 10 or so minutes to bake.

Yield: 6 servings

Jay says ... Empanadas are savory turnovers popular in Latin American countries. There are many kinds of empanadas, but my favorite is this version, which oozes with cheese and beans. Traditional empanadas have a buttery, biscuit like crust. --

From Lean Bean Cuisine (1995) Jay Solomon

Source:
Jay Solomon of Vegetarian Times

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