Healthy Whole Wheat Empanadas For Breakfast
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Today we are making a loved Texan staple for breakfast, Empanadas! The name comes from the word, empanar, that means to talking coat or wrap in bread. Empanadas are turnovers that originated from Spain and Portugal. They first appeared in Catalan cookbooks of 1520 that mention recipes of empanadas filled with seafood. It is believed that both empanada and the calzone are variations of the Arabic sambuusa.
The movement of Galician immigrants into Latin America brought about the popularity of the empanada. Eventually the delicacy reached America and today we love empanadas like our own.
Making of An Empanada
Empanadas are similar to pies. They have a filling, either sweet or savory. The difference is they are made into individual pockets of thinly rolled dough in the shape of a semicircle.
The dough is more often made with whole wheat but cornmeal (how long does cornmeal last?), cassava flour (how long does cassava flour last?) or even a plantain or potato base is used in some traditions.
Today we will be attempting to make empanadas with whole wheat and semolina.
Why semolina you ask? Well, I have found that whole wheat flour (how long does whole wheat flour last?) can be quite tricky to work with and if not handled expertly, the empanada crust turns out hard and chewy. Semolina helps soften the dough and the result is a crispy flaky pastry.
I also add sesame seeds (how long do sesame seeds last?) to the dough because, why not?
For the filling, we will be doing a chicken and cheese mix with chopped bell peppers.
What You Will Need for the Dough
1 Cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon semolina
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sour cream
2/3rd cup of cold butter cubes
Salt as per your taste
1/4 Cup buttermilk for kneading
What You Will Need for the Filling
Two medium chicken breasts cut into small pieces
One red bell pepper chopped
1 Cup ricotta cheese
2 green chilies chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
One small bunch coriander
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt as per your taste
A dash of lemon juice
To Make the Dough You Have To
Combine the flour, semolina, sesame seeds, and salt together. Add the cold butter and use your fingers too breakdown the butter cubes into the flour until they are pea sized balls.
Add the sour cream and mix the dough while slowly pouring the buttermilk
Knead the dough on the counter, folding it over itself until it takes a firm but workable form.
Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour.
Meanwhile, let us prepare the filling.
To Make the Filling You Have To:
In a wok, pour the olive oil and add the chicken.
Add the chopped garlic salt (how long does garlic salt last?) and lemon juice and sauté until the chicken is cooked. Set aside to cool.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred in either by hand or a food processor.
Combine the chopped bell peppers, green chilies, coriander and ricotta cheese to the chicken and give it a good mix.
To Make the Empanada, You Have To:
Section out small sized balls from the entire dough.
Roll thin discs from each ball of dough.
Place a spoon of the chicken filling on one side of the disc. Make sure there is plenty of room to fold over the disc.
Gently fold over one side of the disc of the dough and seal it completely using your fingers or a fork.
Brush the empanadas with egg wash and bake at 375 degrees F for 18 to 24 minutes or till they looked well cooked with a golden tinge.
Cut and enjoy while hot!
