Empanadas: baked or fried?

[on the brink]

But nowadays no one has cooks, nor time to make them, so people order them. Fried empanadas don't travel well, so restaurants and takeouts only sell the baked variety.

I meant, no one has cooks to make empanadas, nor time to make empanadas themselves. Making cooks is beyond the power of most Argentines.

 

[sergio]

I meant, no one has cooks to make empanadas, nor time to make empanadas themselves. Making cooks is beyond the power of most Argentines.

Never underestimate the creativity of Argentines. They may yet discover a way of making cooks.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I meant, no one has cooks to make empanadas, nor time to make empanadas themselves. Making cooks is beyond the power of most Argentines.

( grin )
...but if you do have a spare grandmother in the house and/or have the time and inclination to do them yourself, I have happily based mine on this recipe from Clarin. https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/25-...empanadas-saltenas-tucumanas_0_rJRdfU417.html

1) It scales well: I usually use 500g flour and this gives me about 20 tapas of around 16cm or about 30-36 of the size you may buy ready made from the supermarket.
2) I prefer 0000 flour because the high gluten content makes it stretchy & pliable.
3) Use your own favourite fillings if you prefer them to the traditional ones shown in the article.
( Vegetarians look away now)
4) You can use any fat/oil/shortening you like but in my opinion grasa de vaca from your butcher works better, tastes better and cooks better than the rest.

 

[Silvie]

I love the fried ones.

 

[on the brink]

( grin )
...but if you do have a spare grandmother in the house and/or have the time and inclination to do them yourself, I have happily based mine on this recipe from Clarin. https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/25-...empanadas-saltenas-tucumanas_0_rJRdfU417.html.

Thanks, I'll try that. While in the USA used to make empanadas - baked, am sorry to say - with piecrust. Had a terrible time getting them to stay sealed during baking.

You've given me something to while away these long winter evenings....

 

[Rich One]

What about empanadas de hojaldre o hojaldradas much harder to find .. but excellent .
Empanadas fritas reheated in the oven are not so good.

Empanada Franchises like Solo Empanadas, etc. , Introduce trays of 50 empanadas at one time to bake, would be harder to have boiling Oil to fry empanadas. Change the Oil etc.

My favorite place is Fabrica de Empanadas on Ecuador 1417 almost corner of Av. Santa Fe, Great prices also pizzas and medias lunas..!

 

[on the brink]

Neighborhood traditional bakeries - panaderias - generally carry empanadas de hojaldre. Love their tuna empanadas.

 

[Gustavo_L]

Baked empanadas seem to be the norm, at least around Buenos Aires however when one encounters them in North America they are often fried. I have attributed this to the popularity of fried food in North America. What is your experience - are there many people / places that make FRIED empanadas? I should think that the baked ones are much healthier. Anyone have an idea of the nutrition contents of baked and fried empanadas?

Fried empanadas will pack an additional 100 cal per unit, depending on how fast one takes them out of the frying pot and into the basket. After all these years (having been born and raised in Argentina, and lived in the US for 32 years), I still preferred the fried vs. baked and the hand-cut beef vs.ground beef recipes. And no raisins, please!! :-(

 

[Gustavo_L]

Baked empanadas seem to be the norm, at least around Buenos Aires however when one encounters them in North America they are often fried. I have attributed this to the popularity of fried food in North America. What is your experience - are there many people / places that make FRIED empanadas? I should think that the baked ones are much healthier. Anyone have an idea of the nutrition contents of baked and fried empanadas?

The more you drift away (especially north) from BA, the more you are likely to find them in fried, hand-cut beef form. Folks from Salta and Santiago del Estero are not particularly fond of "southern" empanadas.

 

[Rich One]

The more you drift away (especially north) from BA, the more you are likely to find them in fried, hand-cut beef form. Folks from Salta and Santiago del Estero are not particularly fond of "southern" empanadas.

Salteñas have potato pieces inside. Raisins, Olives, hard boiled egg?

Seafood Empanadas Fritas de Camaron..!!