Easter Empanadas

On Monday, after returning from my day at Roblealto (if you don't know what I'm talking about, read this) my host sister and her friend Memo and I opened a "fabrica de empanadas." Our very own kitchen table empanada factory. 

There are tons of different versions of empanadas, here in Costa Rica and all throughout Latin America. I already learned how to make super delicious fried been and cheese empanadas, but this was my first sweet empanada making. Lula told me that the chiverre, a pumpkin/squash vegetable that looks sort of like a giant wantermelon, is very traditional for the Easter season. The filling of these empanadas is miel de chiverre (literally honey of chiverre), which looks kind of like apricot jam only darker brown and with strings (like pumpkin). It is super sweet, and quite good. 

To start off our factory, Naty, Memo, and I each got our stations set up with a folded up trash bag and a large knife. Then we measured out the ingredients for the dough onto the plastic bag. The dough is very simple, it just has:

3.5 cups of flour

2 sticks of butter

5 oz of cream cheese

Using our knives, we cut in the cream cheese first, then the butter when the cream cheese was well incorporated. Naty was very insistent that we not touch the dough with our hands, although she didn't know why. Just part of the recipe. 

We are using our knives and wondering why we can't use our hands.

Once you have everything all cut in, you squish it around (the correct term is probably knead) with the plastic until it forms a nice big ball of smooth dough.Then, surprise! you use your hands to roll little balls (ping pong ball size). Memo and I both got 35 out of our dough, but Naty made 41. She says that this means she won, but Memo and I think her empanadas are too tiny so it doesn't count.

Now hands are allowed

Next we pulled out the tortilla press and Memo smashed each one flat. Naty and I then filled the empanadas, using about a teaspoon of the miel de chiverre, folding them in half, and forking close the edges. 

 Using plastic bag circles on the press and during folding keeps the dough from sticking and tearing.

 To fold it over, you just lift the plastic bag, very easy and hassle-free.

Then we put the empanadas in any and every oven worthy container we had, and baked them at 350 until they were lovely golden brown. 

Even Sofie helped with some! And helped eat some, of course.

And there you have it! Delicious empanadas. Best about five minutes after they leave the oven, with a buttery flaky crust and a warm sweet filling. !Que Rico!