My freshman year of college, I attended Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, CO. Even though I grew up in Southern Michigan, it had been my dream to live in Colorado since I was in the 2nd grade. As soon as I was able to move out of the house, I was off to make my dreams come true!
Shortly after school started, I began looking for jobs. I still remember the fateful day I interviewed for a job at MetLife in downtown Denver. I thought it was be so "romantic" to have a job downtown. Oh, my! Inadvertently, I parked on the opposite side of the downtown area and I had to literally run across town to make it to my interview on time. I showed up with flushed cheeks and windblown hair just as the interviewer was about to give up on me. He ushered me into a room and asked me what I knew about MetLife. I literally said (very hesitantly), "I've seen the Snoopy commercials on TV..." Yikes! I still cringe when I think back to that day.
Needless to say, I didn't get the job. A few days later, however, I saw an add for Granny Scott's Pie Shop!!! It was in Lakewood, not too far from the college. Perfect! I loved to bake and it definitely sounded more "me" than an office job with Snoopy. I called them up, and they basically hired me over the phone. I did show up for an interview, but it didn't take long before we were discussing when I could start. Without even realizing it, this was what I was made for: making pies! Or baking, in general, I guess. It was probably one of the most fun jobs I have ever had. My first day on the job, I got to use my hands to mix 11 lbs of shortening, 5 lbs of butter, and more flour than I could imagine in one tub. I might be off on my quantities now, but it was a lot. So much of my love for baking, excellence in cooking, and courage to try difficult dishes stemmed from that year at "my" pie shop. I can't imagine my life without that experience.
Along with pies, we also made a number of savory items - most of which included the use of pie dough in some way. One such item was beef empanadas, a half-moon shaped filled with meat, potatoes, veggies, and mexican seasoning. They are still one of my favorite things to order when I go back to visit - as long as I can get some melted cheese and salsa on top!
Fast forward nearly 9 years. I was living on a mountain top pass in Lake Tahoe and working for a chiropractor. One of my favorite things about my job at that time was talking with all of our patients. For most of my time there, I was in charge of doing the therapies that followed the patients' adjustments. This allowed me to get to know the patients and talk to them about all kinds of random things. For example, one of our patients was a runner from Argentina. I am fascinated with Spanish-speaking cultures, so I would often talk to her about her country; more often than not, the conversation typically involved their food. I remember asking her what type of food they typically ate in Argentina. She went on to describe all the ways in which they eat empanadas! Seriously! Empanadas were extremely popular there - all flavors and types. However, they were not spicy empanadas, like I had eaten. There were basil, tomato, and mozzarella empanadas. Tuna and cheese empanadas. Chicken empanadas. There were all sorts of different kinds! One of her favorites (and I believe one of the more popular kinds) was a simple beef empanada: ground beef, potatoes, and carrots cooked in beef broth, and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
Now, shortly after that, I went through a season of being extremely poor and not having a car. I am not sure what brought it about, exactly. I just remember I needed a starter on my car, but I didn't have the money to buy one at the time. So, I figured out how to use the local bus system and walked to my various jobs. This particular time lasted a few months. I was able to pay all of my bills, but there were times when I literally only had enough money to pay the bus fare to make it to my next job. And I had to go to that particular job to have enough money to pay for my bus fares later in the week. It was a very interesting time. As suddenly as it came on, it also left. About a year later, my car died altogether. I sold it for parts, and I went back to using the local transit system and walking 7-13 miles a day to get to and from my various jobs.
It was during those times, however, that I learned how to be very creative with the food I had in my house! I have always been a foodie, and I tended to accumulate food very easily. I would find good deals or have ideas on how I would use particular items. So, while I was without transportation and didn't have any extra money, I did what I could to take control of my life: I made food. One of the most memorable food adventures during that time were empanadas - inspired by our Argentinian patient. Altogether, I made beef, curry potato, chicken, and caramel apple empanadas. They were awesome! They required a little bit of time (which I had) and very simple ingredients (which I had). They also froze extremely well! I was able to freeze packages of empanadas for my mom and sister's visit. We had various flavors of empanadas all throughout the week!
I am happy to now add Northern Michigan to my list of empanada locations! Maybe it was the "making food on a low budget" concept that brought back my fond memory. Or maybe it was the remaining CSA potatoes that desperately need to be used. Whatever the case, I spent my Sunday trying to recall exactly how I made these empanadas nearly 6 years ago. I had to be a little creative with some of my ingredients, based on my current food challenge - but I wasn't disappointed!
Argentinian Beef Empanadas
2 recipes of pie pastry (recipe to follow)
1.25-1.5 lbs ground beef
2-3 potatoes, diced
4-5 carrots, diced
1 carton beef broth (I used pork bone broth, since I had some on hand - and it worked great!)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Kitchen Aid Pie Pastry
(I use the Kitchen Aid recipe, as it is the only one I have found that uses shortening and butter - both of which I learned were necessary for a flaky crust while working at the pie shop)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening (I use organic, as it does not contain partially hydrogenated oils)
2 Tbls butter, well chilled
5-6 tablespoons cold water (though I typically need at least double this amount)
I suggest starting with the beef filling, as you can make the pie dough while the filling is cooling. Start by placing the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet on medium high heat. Let it cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the excess fat, if necessary.
While the beef is cooking, dice the potatoes. I leave the skins on, as it is easier - and it adds more vitamins and fiber to your diet. At least that is what my mom always told me as a kid. :) My potatoes also happened to be purple, but don't let that deter you.
Once the fat has been drained from the beef, add the diced potatoes, carrots, and beef broth. Season with salt and pepper.
It should look pretty soupy. Bring the mixture to a simmer/light boil on medium high heat. Let it continue to cook until the broth has been reduced to a thick sauce. It shouldn't be very runny at all, as that will make the pie dough wet. This takes a little time. Feel free to wash the dishes while you wait.
Once the beef broth is no longer runny, remove the mixture from the heat. While it is cooling, prepare your pie dough. Place the flour and salt in the bowl, and stir well with a fork. Add shortening and chilled butter. As I mentioned, an old roommate of mine (with the help of another friend) got me started on using organic shortening, as it does not use partially hydrogenated oils. I rarely use the shortening any more (it's been awhile since I've made pies), and I found some older containers in the back of my cupboard. I'll be ready to get them out of my pantry and free up some space! It does help make one feel slightly better about eating pie dough, though. :)
Wash your hands and remove all rings. Use your hands to "rub" the mixture together, by rubbing your hands back and forth. This ensures the butter and shortening rub together, which creates the flake. Repeat this until the butter and shortening are well incorporated and crumb-like.
Add water. I typically add double the amount called for in the recipe to start. Then add a Tbls at a time until the mixture is no longer floury, but not too wet. Be careful to toss the mixture together, rather than knead it, like you would bread.
At this point, I break off chunks of dough to make smaller "pucks" (our term from the pie shop). They should all be similar in size - about the size of a small fist. I was able to make about 8 medium/large empanadas with this recipe. You could make smaller ones, too.
Spread some extra flour on the counter, and proceed to roll out the first puck into a small circle.
Fill half of the circle with the cooled filling, leaving an inch or two around the edges.
Fold the empanada in half.
"Crimp" the edges of the empanada. I typically hold my left finger on the dough, and use my right forefinger to fold the dough over. Repeat until the entire edge has been crimped.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Carefully place the finished empanada on the parchment paper. Once the cookie sheet is full, freeze the empanadas for 20 mins to an hour, until they are hard.
After they are hard, pull them out and wrap them in plastic wrap, to protect them. Place in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and freeze! When you are ready to eat them: place an unwrapped empanada on a cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 mins at 350 degrees. You could brush the tops with egg to give it a golden hue, though it is not necessary.
It may look rather plain, but it definitely hits the spot! And it is an easy meal to make for those nights you get home from work late and you don't feel like cooking. Rather than eating out - grab an empanada! If you are like me, you may want to add a little ketchup and hot sauce on top! Yum!
I was able to make about 8 empanadas with this recipe. I initially made 3 recipes of pie dough, as I wasn't sure how much I needed. I had about 1.5 recipes remaining after the empanadas. I divided them into 3 larger pucks (almost double the size of the empanada pucks).
I wrapped them in plastic wrap, placed them in a freezer-safe ziploc - and I have pie dough ready for a special occasion (or that time when you realize at 8 pm you need to have a pie ready for the next day and you cringe at the thought of making pie dough).
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