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.
Equipment
- Heavy bottomed suacepan
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
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour and salt and whisk to combine.
- Add cold, diced butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, cook minced onion in a frying pan over medium heat until it is fragrant. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Add room temperature onion and grated cheese to a bowl and stir to mix until well combined. Set it aside.
- When ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften. And then knead well to soften and make it pliable.
- 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.
- Place one tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the circle.
- Lightly brush the edges of the circle with a wet brush.
- Fold the circle in half and seal and crimp the edges firmly to prevent the filling from leaking out.
- Deep fry in 350-degree oil until light brown. Remove and sprinkle generously with granulate sugar, when right out of hot oil.
- 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.