Black Bean Empanadas

These are my favorite snack food so I make them every few months and keep them in the freezer. There is so much you can do with these - change the filling or the dip and it's a whole different thing. I've made them once with a beef filling and a few times with chicken, and this time it's black beans.

I'm watching the special features from "Matilda," and I have some food-related trivia for you: the director (Danny DeVito!) had Bruce Bogtrotter eat those huge bites and then spit out the Trunchbull's cake between each take so he wouldn't throw up. 

sleeping in

So now go make these empanadas! They are VERY similar in assembly to the Strawberry Chocolate Hand Pies I posted about last week, so if you make them both it's like developing a skill... I'm making the Honey Wheat Bread again today, too, so I'm hitting two of my favorite hurry up and wait and then freeze it recipes for President's Day!

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BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

DOUGH
from Laylita's Recipes

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk (save whites for later)
3/4 cup to 1 cup warm milk

Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Then add the butter and mix. Then add a bit of the yolk and milk in turns, mixing between each addition, until crumbs form (like for pie crust). Turn it out and form two balls. Cool until ready to use.


FILLING
You can do whatever you want with whatever you have around. I posted more ideas at the end of the post. Here's what I came up with today:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 can black beans 
1 carrot, diced
1 stick of celery, diced
3 small peppers, sliced
cumin, oregano, chili pepper
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp lemon zest

Fry up the garlic and onions, then add the carrot, pepper, and celery. Add spices and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the black beans and enchilada sauce. Cook for another couple minutes and then blend about 1/2 or 3/4 of it to a puree. Add the pureed bit back in and cook until less of a thick soup and more like a vegetarian chili. Stir in some zest. You might have extra - make enchiladas!!

ASSEMBLY

1 egg white
1 egg yolk + 1 tsp water

Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick. Use a wine glass or cookie cutter to make disks and roll out a little more if the dough feels thick. Spread some egg white around half of the edge (it's the glue) and plop a little of the filling in the middle. Draw half of the disc over and press shut. Then use a fork to seal the edge. Put them on a plate and when the plate fills up, put it in the fridge to cool.

When the dough is used up, preheat the oven to 400 and let the empanadas cool in the fridge while it heats up. When it's almost ready put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with the yolk. Bake for 25 minutes.

Other filling options:

Empanadas mendocinas from Laylita's Recipes

Spicy chicken from Martha

Creamy chicken from Paula Deen

Argentinian beef from Turntable Kitchen

Mushroom and butternut squash from Gourmet

Spinach and cheese from Use Real Butter

Dip ideas:

simple mayo & garlic, so good!!!

Aji Criollo

Avocado sauce (very good!)

Balsamic chimichurri sauce

Quick chimichurri sauce
...or nothing, they're great plain!