DESCRIPTION:
Plantain turnovers filled with celebration ‘picadillo’
This recipe is inspired by an ‘antojito’ or appetizer from the eastern Sierra Madre mountainous region in Veracruz. Plantains are produced and eaten there throughout the year in many different preparations. Usually, these empanadas’ filling is black beans or cheese. Here, I have included my celebration ground meat filling ‘picadillo’ that compliments this popular appetizer very well, as the flavors in the meat contrast with the fried plantain dough
SERVING SIZE:
Makes 12 empanadas
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE DOUGH
- 500 g Plantains ripe. (but not too ripe, with some black spots ok)
- 1 Tbs. Corn starch
FOR THE FILLING
- 50 g White onion, finely chopped
- 4 g Cloves of garlic, peeled, minced
- 150 g Ground pork meat
- 150 g Ground beef meat
- 6 Ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed
- ½ pc Tinned pickled jalapeño pepper. Finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Jalapeño pickle juice from the can
- 40 g Green olives, pitted. Rinsed & sliced
- 40 g Sliced almonds
- ¼ tsp. Ground allspice
- 3 Mexican bay leaves
- Fine Sea salt, to taste
- 800 ml Vegetable oil such as sunflower or peanut oil
PREPARATION:
Procedure for dough
- Cook plantains in water with skin on for 1 hour
- Take skin off and remove row of black tiny seeds
- Grind in food processor until very smooth, if necessary, push through a ‘chinois’ for smoother result
- Knead until uniform texture, add cornstarch. Wrap in plastic wrap or damp cloth and reserve for later, at room temperature
For Picadillo de Fiesta
- In a medium size pot, sauté onions until translucent, add minced garlic cook for approx. 3 more minutes or until garlic is cooked
- Add ground pork & beef meat. Stir continuously making sure meat is not in big clumps and looks cooked all over.
- Add all spice & bay leaves, stir for another 5 minutes
- Add cubed tomatoes and cook, stirring until tomatoes are soft when you push with the cooking spoon
- Now, add olives, jalapeño, and water. Bring to a boil and then cover, lower the fire to very low and simmer for approx. 40 min or until ground meat mixture is very soft.
- Add jalapeño pickle liquid and stir
- The result should be a little moist and uniform, a little pasty
- Season with salt to taste. Take off the fire and add sliced almonds at the end.
- Spread in a tray to cool down outside the fridge covered with a kitchen towel.
To make empanadas
- Using tortilla press, with two plastic pieces as liners on both sides, shaped as a thick tortilla, about 12 cm in diameter.
- Carefully place filling in only one half of the flat dough. Do not overfill, dough is very delicate, breaks easily.
- Fold carefully and seal with fingers empanada like, or like big ravioli. Place it in an oiled tray covered with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour
- Deep fat fry in vegetable oil of choice, with the oil being about 2 or 3 cm deep.
- Fry on one side until it changes color to a deep yellow and turnover. Do the same on the other side
- Drain, place on rack with paper towel over a tray. Serve while still hot.
- Serve with a fresh molcajete salsa of your choice
