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Ecuadorian Fried Cheese and Onion Empanadas

Ecuadorian Cheese and onion empanada are very different from the meat empanadas we are familiar with.We had this light and airy empanadas with a stingy amount of filling inside, sprinkled with granulated sugar as they come out of hot oil. A delightful snack with our mid-morning coffee in a restaurant in Quito’s Historic center. It was quite delicious.
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Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup minced onion
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1½ cups Monterrey Jack cheese
  • 1 quart vegetable oil for deep frying
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Equipment

  • Heavy bottomed suacepan

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, add flour and salt and whisk to combine.
  2. Add cold, diced butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly.
  3. Add milk and make a dough adding extra milk if need be. Dough should be firm. Knead the dough until the dough is smooth and silky. Make a smooth disc and wrap it in parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Meanwhile, cook minced onion in a frying pan over medium heat until it is fragrant. Remove from heat and let it cool.
  5. Add room temperature onion and grated cheese to a bowl and stir to mix until well combined. Set it aside.
  6. When ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften. And then knead well to soften and make it pliable.
  7. Roll the prepared dough into a long, thin sausage roll. Cut into equal size portions, though each portion big enough to be rolled  into 6-inch diameter round.
  8. Place one tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the circle.
  9. Lightly brush the edges of the circle with a wet brush.
  10. Fold the circle in half and seal and crimp the edges firmly to prevent the filling from leaking out.
  11. Deep fry in 350-degree oil until light brown. Remove and sprinkle generously with granulate sugar, when right out of hot oil.
  12. They should be crispy and delicious.

Notes

You can use any desired filling in desired amount for variation.  Same dough recipe can be used for any empanadas. I think the secret to making them crispy is to use milk to mix the dough, knead the dough to soft and silky, and roll them thin.