Spiced Pork Empanadas

This past Sunday, our neighborhood experienced a wonderful thing.  We came together for three hours… in the street… under a tent for a block party.  We all brought food to share, plus it was byod (drink) and byoc (chair).  Neighbors of every description converged to get to know each other a little bit better.  There was even a young couple that had just closed on their house last Friday to join us and they will not even be moving in until June.  What fun the children had… you should have seen them (with a little help from adults) as they made a train with their wagons, pulled by a motorized riding toy. 

The block party committee, which met earlier in the year, had determined the date (May 5) and because it was Cinco de Mayo requested that the food complement the theme.  One neighbor made a family recipe of Paella in a special pan street side.  My contribution was the Spiced Pork Empanadas that you find here in this post and our byod was Cinco Sangría de Fruta.  A great time was had by all and until the next block party, impromptu “porch time(s)” will be taking place all over the neighborhood.  Thank you to Andy Shehee for providing our tent.  Enjoy!

Spiced Pork Empanadas

Yield: 4 to 5 dozen

Filling:

2 medium sized onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups cooked pork butt, shredded and chopped

1 cup Cola
1 cup Craisins

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 chipotle pepper, minced plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onions hot oil until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add meat, sauté 5 more minutes. Stir in, Cola and remaining ingredients.

Simmer for until all liquid has cooked out and the meat is not wet. 

Let cool and hold until the dough is made for the shells.

Shell:

6 cups flour (2 cups)
6 tablespoons sugar (2 tablespoons)
6 teaspoons baking powder  (2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt (1 ½ teaspoons)
1 cup shortening (1/3 cup)
1 cup ice water (1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Divide ingredients into thirds as indicated by the amount in (parentheses) above. (Three separate batches will be made)
• Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Add sifted ingredients to a food processor and pulse one or two times. 
• Add the shortening into the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Through the feed tube add just enough ice water so that it will just hold together while processor is on. Cover and allow to rest while the other two batches are being made.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured board to circles about 3 inches in diameter.
• Place a spoonful of Spiced Pork Empanada filling on one side of the circle (I used a melon baller).
• Moisten the edges of the circle with a small amount of water and fold the dough over the filling to make a half circle. Press the edges together to seal.  
• Spray the baking sheets and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. 

Note: this Cooks.com recipe was used as a guide.

~CGJ