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Several golden brown empanadas on a rustic metal baking sheet, with one broken open to show the filling.

Authentic Empanaditas


  • Author: Theresa Martinez

Description

This recipe for New Mexico empanaditas features a sweet and savory filling made with tender meats, raisins, applesauce, spices, and piñon nuts. The mixture is wrapped in a light yeast dough, folded into small pockets, and deep‑fried until golden brown.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Filling:

  • 1 lb cow tongue and pork roast, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 cups applesauce or jam
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup shelled piñon
  • 1 tsp salt

For the Dough:

  • 2 packages yeast
  • 1 qt evaporated milk
  • 3 tbsp melted Crisco
  • 3 handfuls of Crisco
  • 3 tsp salt
  • Sugar
  • 2 cups flour

Instructions

For the Filling:

  1. Grind meat and add raisins, applesauce, sugar, spices, and nuts. It should be moist in consistency.
  2. If mixture seems too dry, add a little meat stock.

For the Dough:

  1. Soak yeast in warm water. Heat milk, add Crisco, salt, and sugar to it. Cool to lukewarm and add dissolved yeast add enough flour to make a medium dough.
  2. Do not let rise. Roll out dough approximately 1/8-inch thick.
  3. Cut with biscuit cutter, if the dough rises after the biscuits are cut roll them thin.
  4. Place 1 1/2 teaspoon of minced meat in center of rolled dough, fold and pinch together. Deep-fry until brown.