I’ve had these empanadas in my head for days! today, I finally made them. They turned out so good I had to share with you. I saw a post from one of my favorites food bloggers Minimalist Baker, she made plantain tortillas, and I was so inspired to make empanadas using the same plantain tortillas recipe. They turned out really good! The filling for the empanadas is a combination of some of my favorite flavors: mushrooms, thyme, and goat cheese, they work perfectly for this empanadas! I had a lot of fun making them, can’t wait for you to try them. Let’s get to it!
Start by heating up a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until they start browning, once they’re brown, add the onions and thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Slice plantains into 4 sections, and then halve those sections lengthwise. In a
**Note: I realize after making the first two empanadas that as the dough gets colder it also gets harder to work with. Before filling your empanada, pop the tortilla in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, It will become softer and a lot easier to fold over and seal with the egg wash.**
Fill the empanadas. The mushrooms should be enough for the 4 empanadas, however, don’t overfill them. Add the mushrooms, some of the crumbled goat cheese and brush the edge with egg wash, fold over and gently press down the dough with your fingers to seal it.
How lovely are these? They didn’t disappoint me. They’re delicious! Give this empanadas a try. I will be making these again, for sure. Can’t wait to try different fillings.
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves (3-4 sprigs)
- 2 oz goat cheese
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- To make the Filling:
- Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to brown. Once they're brown add the diced onion and the thyme leaves. Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 more minutes. Set aside and let it cool. Crumble the goat cheese with a fork.
- For the Empanadas:
- Slice the plantains into 4 sections, and then halve those sections lengthwise. In a sauce pan, cover the plantains with water and boil for about 15 to 20 minutes until the plantains are tender.
- Peel the plantains and discard the peel.
- Add the plantains to a food processor, season with salt and process until a ball forms, 15-30 sec. The dough will be very sticky.
- Dust a clean surface with tapioca flour and dump the dough onto it. Divide into four and make round balls.
- Cut open the two sides of a zip top bag and place it open on the tortilla press (this will prevent the dough from sticking to the tortilla press. Put one ball of dough in between the two sides of the bag and press until flat. (you can also cut a rectangular piece of wax paper or parchment paper and use it instead the bag) If you don't have a tortilla press you can roll the dough out with a rolling pin and using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut out four circles. Repeat with the rest of the balls.
- In a small bowl, beat one egg with one teaspoon of water. Set aside.
- The tortillas will be easier to handle if they're warm. Pop them in the microwave one at a time for 10-15 seconds before you start filling them.
- The mushrooms should be sufficient to fill 4 empanadas, however, try not to over fill them. Put the mushrooms in the center of the tortilla and add some of the crumbled goat cheese on top. Brush the edge with the egg wash and fold over, gently press both ends with your fingers to seal the empanada.
- Brush the tops with the rest of the egg wash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 35-45 min or until brown.
