It’s time to shake up the Christmas cuisine traditions, well at least for Christmas Eve. How, you ask? A good pun is a good place to start, like our Christmas Eve dinner party theme: Empanavidad (empanadas + Navidad, or Christmas in Spanish). I knew tamales were a traditional food for Christmas! Check out this awesome Food Network video about tamaladas, or tamale making parties, by a new Denver food blogger friend who is also from El Paso, Yvette from Muy Bueno!

When putting together the menu for our Christmas Eve dinner, we extended the Latin theme and incorporated homemade empanadas. I had no idea how easy they would be to make – and fun too! I came across this empanada recipe from Laylita and the recipe was spot. on. No adjustments needed, it really directed us to make just the perfect crispy, proportional filler-to-crust, and comforting mini empanadas.

These empanadas – or maybe we should call them “empanaditas” were just a tad bit smaller than I anticipated, but this was based on the size of the bowl we used to cut the dough circles. I guess I envisioned them being bigger, but the small ones were a bit more like dumpling size and perfect bite-sized snacks for a casual gathering. This recipe made about 18 empys, so we’d definitely double the recipe next time to double the quantity without adding too much prep time.

Our empanadas went just perfectly with this vinegary, herbaceous, garlicky chimicurri recipe from Know Your Produce.

How to Make Empanadas

1. Make Your Fillings and Let Them Cool – We made 2 kinds of empanadas – beef and vegetable. We made the beef filling by simmering ground beef on the stove with onions and garlic. The vegetable filling was made by sautéing fresh spinach, onion, garlic, and chopped mushrooms. You’ll want to make sure you strain out any excess liquid before stuffing the empanadas to get the crispy shell and avoid soggy bottoms.

2. Make the Dough – (From Laylita)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ to 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water or milk, adjust as needed to obtain a soft and smooth dough

Instructions

1. Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.
2. Add the butter and pulse
3. Add the egg and the water or milk (in small increments) and continue pulsing until a clumpy dough forms.
4. To make the empanada dough by hand, follow the same instruction but use your hands to mix the ingredients together.

3. Assemble the Empanadas

1. Split the dough into 2 large ball, flatten slightly into the shape of disks. The dough can be used immediately or refrigerated until ready to use (1-2 days max).
2. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
3. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator/freezer to use later.
4. To assemble the empanadas or turnovers, place a spoonful of the filling on the middle of each empanada disc. The amount of filling will vary based on the size of the empanada, but in general, it’s easier to seal an empanada that isn’t overstuffed. Also, the more you make empanadas, the easier it becomes to stuff them to the max and still seal them properly.
5. To seal the empanadas, fold the disc and seal the edges by pressing the dough with your fingers. If you’re having a hard time sealing the edges, you can use brush the inside edges with egg white, it will act as a glue for the empanadas. You can also use a fork to help seal the edges, just press the top of the fork against the edges. To make the repulgue or churito, the curl type seal, use your fingers to twist the curl the edges. There are also empanada molds that you can buy and will help seal the empanadas. (Note from Rebecca: I just tried to pull a piece of the edge over my thumb and repeat the pattern, which made more of a ruffle, than a twist. I have some work to do here.)
6. For best results, I recommend refrigerating for at least 30 minutes the empanadas before baking – this also helps them seal better and prevents the filling from leaking out. (Note from Rebecca: you can also make and fill them ahead of time, put them in the refrigerator on baking sheets, covered with plastic wrap, then take them out to brush with egg and bake the next day.)
7. If you want your empanadas to have a nice golden finish, then you can brush them with egg wash (a whole egg whisked or egg yolk plus a few drops of water whisked).
8. Bake the empanadas in a pre-heated oven. I usually bake them at 375F-400F, the temperature will vary based on the oven and the size of the empanadas. I bake the smaller sized empanadas at 375F. The baking time also varies (again based on the oven and size), but it’s in the range of 18-25 minutes – the empanadas will be ready once they are golden.

4. While the Empanadas are Baking, Make the Chimichurri Sauce  (From Know Your Produce)

I love red wine vinegar so much, this garlicky, herb sauce is just so fresh, flavorful, and easy to eat by the spoonful!

5. Serve up the empanadas and chimichurri with your favorite Latin condiments and nibbles

We made the dough, filled, and pressed the edges the day before our dinner party. We kept them in the fridge and they stayed set just fine! The day of the party, we brushed the outside with a scrambled egg to get the golden brown, crispy texture on the outside.

We served the empanadas on wooden and white platters, alongside three different salsas, plantain chips (Trader Joe’s are the best!) and the chimichurri. They can be served room temperature.

We also served a veggie platter to freshen up the spread.

Check out the inside vegetable filling of this empanada after I took a bite!

So, are you inspired? It only took about 1 hour to make the empanadas the day before, and about 30 minutes to bake them the next day. So easy and an easy way to please your guests and your appetites! We’ll be making these again for any occasion, but Christmas empanadas, or Empanavidad, may just become a new annual tradition! Happy Holidays, folks!