Holiday Maker Series: Christmas Empanada Bites

With Uprooted

Inspired by a classic Spanish Christmas Dish, these open-face beef Empanadas will wow your holiday guests. With each bite, bursts of mango, beef, and feta excite the senses. If you’re tired of the preparing the same old holiday faire, this recipe by Jon and Jessica Gonzalez of Uprooted will spice up your cookbook.

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Filing
  • 1lb. Ground Beef
  • 1tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Small Diced Yellow Onion
  • 6 Minced Green Olives
  • 1 tsp. Minced Garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
• Mango Chutney
  • 1.5 Cups Roasted Butternut Squash
  • 1 Small Diced Mango
  • 2 tbsp. Thinly Sliced Green Onions
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
  • 1 Squeezed Lime
  • 1/2 Small Diced Roasted Red Pepper
  • 1/4 Cup Honey
  • 1/4 Cup Water
• Puff Pastry
  • 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup cold tap water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

 

Recipe

Filing

1. Sautee beef for 5 minutes on medium-high heat with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
2. Add onions, garlic, olives, salt. Cook additional 5 minutes.

 

Mango Chutney

1. Place in saucepan, cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
2. Allow to rest for additional 10 minutes

 

Puff Pastry

1. Cut 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter into 1/2 to 1/4-inch dice, place on a plate and refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.Measure water and add salt; stir to dissolve and set aside.
2. Coarsely dice remaining 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter. Place flour in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade; add 4 tablespoons butter and pulse until butter is absorbed — about ten to twelve 1-second pulses.
3. Add remaining butter and pulse once or twice to distribute. Add water and pulse 3 or 4 times, just until dough forms a rough ball. Do not over-process.
4. Flour work surface and scrape dough from work bowl. Shape dough into a rough rectangle and place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Press dough with rolling pin to flatten, then roll back and forth several times with rolling pin to make a 12 by 18 inch rectangle of dough.
5. Peel away plastic wrap and invert dough to floured work surface. Peel away second piece of wrap. Fold dough in thirds in the width, folding the top third down and the bottom third up, to make a 6 by 18-inch rectangle, then roll up the dough from one of the 6-inch ends, making sure to roll end under dough. Press the dough into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.

Assemble Empanada Bites

1. Place 1 tbsp of beef filling in pastry
2. Top with 1 tsp of Mango Chutney
3. Finish with ½ tsp of Feta Cheese

 

About Uprooted

Uprooted is a unique food truck concept — the only in the area! We source organic food from local farmers, take it directly from the farm, and create an awesome, unforgettable cuisine experience straight from a food truck.

Visit Uprooted on their website or Facebook!

 

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