Tacos and burritos may be popular – we love them too! – but true fans of Latin and South American food know that empanadas deserve a lot more glory. These delicious pastries can be filled with anything and everything, from seafood to fruit, and you can make them small enough to be appetizers and large enough for a filling meal. Home Cooking Adventure shows us how to make a mushroom version that will have everybody asking for just one more.

You’ll Need:

Empanada Dough
– 1 1/4 cup flour
– 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into small 1/2-inch cubes, chilled up to an hour in the freezer
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Filling
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 1 onion, chopped
– 1 medium carrot, grated
– 4 garlic cloves, chopped
– 4 or 5 medium mushrooms, chopped
– 1/2 red pepper
– Fresh basil leaves, chopped
– Fresh parsley, chopped
– 2 tablespoons soy sauce
– Salt and freshly ground black pepper
– 1/3 cup cheese, grated
Garnish
– 1 egg

How To:

Empanada Dough

1. Sift the flour and mix it with salt.
2. Use a pastry blender, fork or food processer to incorporate the butter into the flour, until crumbs are formed.
3. Slowly add the water and stir until incorporated.
4. Wrap the dough with plastic and knead slowly to form a disc.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Filling

1. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat.
2. Add the onion and sauté until soft.
3. Add the carrot, garlic, red pepper, mushrooms and soy sauce. Cook until any water evaporates.
4. Turn down the heat and add the basil, parsley, salt and pepper.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the empanada dough to 1/8 inch thick.
3. Using a 3 1/2-inch circle cutter, cut out circles of dough. Re-roll dough as needed and repeat until you’ve used all the dough. You should end up with about 16 or 17 circles.
4. Place a spoonful of empanada filling on one side of each circle and top with cheese.
5. Moisten the edges of the circles with water and fold the dough over the filling to create a semi-circle. Use a fork to press the edges together to seal the empanadas.
6. Place the emapandas on the prepared baking tray.
7. Beat the egg. Brush the top of each empanada with the beaten egg.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

These empanadas are perfect pouches of taste, aren’t they? Have you ever tried making them before? What kind of filling would you like to have?