Philly Cheeseburger Empanadas

empanadas.jpg

Photo above includes 2 strawberry jam empanadas on the left, if you're wondering what the red goo is. EMpanadas are easy to make and freeze well, plus they go straight from freezer to oven, making them the perfect pocket pies to have on hand at all times. 

By now you should know I am using the same All Buttah Pie Dough recipe for every crust, even these empanadas. For the filling, I searched around until I found ingredients and a method I liked. This was too easy and now I have dozens of empanadas in my freezer. 

Dough

  • 1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter

  • 1 1/4 C all purpose flour

  • Pinch salt

  • Ice water

In a food processor, whisk together the flour and salt to combine. Add the butter, pulsing until it is the size of walnut halves (for a flaky crust) or peas (for a mealy crust). Add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix just until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill well (30-45 minutes).

Filling:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef, browned

  • 1 onion, finely diced

  • 1 green bell pepper, finely diced

  • 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, finely diced

  • 1 mushrooms, finely diced

  • Butter for sautéing veggies

  • 1 batch Provolone sauce recipe (see below)

Provolone Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups whole milk, heated

  • 1 cup grated aged provolone cheese

  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the provolone and Parmesan until combined; season with the salt and pepper.

Empanadas

Brown the beef until fully cooked. Sauté the diced veggies and add to the beef. Make the Provolone Sauce and add to the mixture. Set aside.  

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until very thin and cut into circles (I don't know what size, but I used a wide margarita glass, if that helps). Gather the scraps and re-roll, cutting out circles until you've used all the dough. 

Take a circle of dough, place about a teaspoon of filling on one side of the dough. Pick up the other side and stretch it over the top of the filling and press down around the edges where the dough meets. Crimp around the edges with a fork to seal it. Use a fork or small knife to cut a few tiny incisions in the top (this lets steam escape while baking). Place on a parchment-lined baking tray and freeze for at least 10 minutes before storing in a plastic bag in the freezer. 

Bake (from frozen) in a 400 oven for 10-15 minutes, until you se the filling start to bubble out of the top. Optional: before baking, brush each empanada with a whisked egg for a more golden crust. 

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