Right after Christmas I took a road trip to New England to visit family for the New Year.  We were welcomed by tons of snow and blustery cold days and of course lots of great food.  Coming down with a cold upon arriving has left me tired and worn, but I always manage to perk up at meal time. My mom made a huge platter of warm empanadas the other day to welcome the huge household gang upon returning from a trek in the snow. A trek I missed in lieu of a nap. But none the less , it is possible to work up a good appetite from taking a rest.

The empanadas were easy and the perfect solution for using leftover pork, though you could use cooked beef instead. We decided that next time we are going to try the recipe using half butter and half lard to make a flakier dough.  Please feel free to experiment using what you have on hand and what you like. With lots of young kids  in the house we opted for a non -spicy version of these yummy treats that I imagine would freeze very well.

They were even good out of the icebox cold the next day for a quick snack.

MOM’S EMPANADAS

Dough-

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup masa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup ice water

Combine dry ingredients and sift together, set aside. Cut in butter till mixture resembles corn meal. Add 1 cup ice water gradually and gather mixture into a ball after combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

Filling

6-8 pimento stuffed olives finely chopped

1 jalapeno seeds removed finely chopped

6 scallions-green tops only finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

1 cup shredded pork

1/2 cup currants or raisins

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 beaten egg

Saute onions, scallions and garlic in 3 tbsp olive oil till soft. Add jalapeno, olives, currants, pork and tomato paste. Then slowly poor in in wine. Cook for a minute or two till any liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool slightly.

Roll 1/2 of dough on a lightly floured board. Cut 3 inch rounds from dough gathering up scraps for second rolling.  Roll circles out a touch more, then top with a tablespoon  of mixture in center. Fold over one side and then seal using the tines of a fork. Put onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush tops lightly with beaten  egg wash.

When your sheet is full, bake in a 375degree preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes till lightly browned.  Enjoy warm or reheated the next day. This recipe makes enough to feed 12 hungry people as an afternoon snack.