Since the beginning of time, Spanish empanadas have been synonymous with Latin cuisine. These small, stuffed meat pastries are perfect for snacking, and best of all, this timeless cajun empanada recipe can be modified to fit your culinary preferences.
Continuing with more recipes from the Tabasutra cooking series – the Tabañero Hot Sauce X FOODBEAST cookbook – we instituted the help of well-known foodie Instagrammer and blogger, Kylie Mazon.
With more than 57K followers on her Cooking With Cocktail Rings Instagram page, Kylie brought a Cajun flare to her empanada recipe, and it looks and tastes amazing.
These buttery, crumbly little meat pies are filled with Cajun-seasoned crawfish, diced pancetta, green bell peppers, and, of course, Tabañero Hot Sauce. Still, it wouldn’t be Tabasutra without an exotic bottle grip, and Kylie’s grip may be the most majestic of all.
The Reverse Unicorn requires precision, class, and finesse, and should really only appear in mythology. However, Kylie showed us that unicorns definitely still exist.
While the Reverse Unicorn Tabasutra bottle grip may be difficult to master, Kylie's Cajun empanada recipe is super simple and will come in handy during your next soiree. Here’s the recipe, enjoy!
Ingredients:
For the filling
½ lb diced pancetta
1 c diced yellow onion
½ c diced green bell pepper
½ cup diced celery
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ lb frozen cooked crawfish bodies, thawed and chopped
1 tbsp Tabañero hot sauce
2 tbsp heavy cream
For the dough
3 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp kosher salt
½ c unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces
For assembly
1 egg, beaten
Hot sauce, as needed, for dipping
Step 1
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the pancetta and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta turns golden brown. Remove the pancetta to a bowl, leaving as much fat in the pan as possible and return to heat. Add the onion, pepper and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, and flour, cooking for an additional 30 seconds.
Step 2
Add the crawfish and cooked pancetta, stirring to combine. Let cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally then stir in hot sauce and cream.
Step 3
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter using your hands so the mixture is crumbly. Add just enough cold water until the dough comes together – about 1 cup.
Step 4
Divide dough into 2-inch balls and roll out each piece into a 4 ½-inch circle. Lay on a lightly-floured baking sheet.
Step 5
Heat oven to 375º. Working one at a time, moisten the outer edge of round dough with water, then put about 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle. Wrap the dough around the filling to form an empanada, pressing the edges together. Fold the edges back and finish by pinching little pleats.
Step 6
Place empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with egg. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
By Evan Lancaster
A journalist focusing on news and anything that's trending. Insists that cherry flavoring makes any soft drink better. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram at @ThatsThatFuego.