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Turkey Empanadas

Published by Today's Parent on 8/1/2004
You can substitute ground lean beef or chicken for the turkey, or make them vegetarian using ground beef substitute. They can also be made with frozen puff pastry dough.
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive or vegetable oil
  • ½ lb (250 g) ground turkey
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • ½ green pepper, chopped
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) paprika
  • ¼ cup (50 mL) water
  • 1 hard cooked egg, chopped
  • ¼ cup (50 mL) green (stuffed or unstuffed) olives, chopped
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
  • ¼ tsp (1 mL) black pepper
  • 1 easy sour cream pastry (recipe follows) or
  • 1 pkg (375 g) frozen puff pastry (thawed according to package directions)

Directions

  1. Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, chopped onion, green pepper, cumin and paprika and sauté, stirring, until the vegetables soften and the meat is beginning to brown. Add the water and continue to cook for another 3 or 4 minutes, or until it has nearly evaporated. Stir in the hard cooked egg and chopped olives, and season with the salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool. (The filling can be cooked ahead of time and kept, refrigerated, until ready to make the empanadas).
  2. Now call in a kid. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half of the sour cream pastry (or puff pastry) into a circle about 12 or 13 in. (30 or 33 cm) in diameter. (Keep remaining dough in the fridge until you need it – it softens quickly.) Have your helpful child cut 4 in. (10 cm) circles of dough using a large cutter or whatever you can find around the house that will do the job. (I used a plastic container with a 4 in. opening.) Working with one circle of dough at a time, lightly brush the edges with a bit of water, then place one heaping teaspoon (slightly more than 5 mL) in the centre of the circle. Fold the pastry into a half-moon shape and seal the edges shut by crimping gently with a fork. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Continue until you’ve used up all the dough and filling. It may or may not come out exactly equal. (Fill any extra dough with chocolate chips or cheese or jam or whatever and bake. Any extra filling should simply be eaten to destroy the evidence.)
  3. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool at least slightly before serving – they’re just as good at room temperature as they are hot.
  4. Easy sour cream pastry 1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour 1 cup (250 mL) butter, very cold, cut into chunks ½ cup (125 mL) sour cream In a food processor (or large mixing bowl), combine the flour and butter. If you're using a processor, process with quick on/off pulses until it forms a crumbly mixture. If you’re doing this by hand, cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender until the mixture is very crumbly and resembles coarse oatmeal. Add the sour cream, stirring (or briefly processing) the mixture just until it forms a soft dough. With well-floured hands, divide the dough into two equal pieces, patting them into flattish disks and coating the outsides so it isn't sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two before using.

Sorry, there is no nutrition information available for this recipe.

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