Anyone have a great recipe for Saltenas????

Question

Hi Everyone!

Anyone have a good recipe for Saltenas(A yummy Bolivian empanada)?????

Thanks!

Answer 1

Not an answer but thanks for asking! The answer above is just what I needed. I have premade empanada shells in my freezer but I need a filling. I can tell that one is.

Answer 2

The Filling: (for about 15 turnovers)

2 big spoons of vegetable oil

1/2 cup of onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 to 4 potatoes, diced

1 cup of green peas

1 pound (450 g.) of boneless chicken or ground beef

1 cup (250 ml.) chicken or beef broth

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin

a pinch of : salt, oregano, cayenne pepper and cumin

Cook and shred el pollo. If using ground beef, cook and drain. Set aside.

This being done, the best way to go is doing the aguado (the base of the sauce) in a large pot. Gently sauté the onion and garlic in vegetable oil for about 10 min. Don't let the onions brown! Add the salt & pepper, cumin spice, and oregano. Lastly, pour in the broth of choice. Cover & simmer on low heat for approximately 35 min. until a reddish oil starts to rise to the surface.

While you have time to waste, boil, in a separate pot, about 5 cups of water with another pinch of salt. Dump in the chopped potatoes and peas, leave for about 7 min. Remove ingredients to a holding bowl and set aside.

When you see that red oil at the surface of the broth mixture, put in the minced meat, the potatoes and the peas. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin powder with boiling water and pour it in the pot as well. Mix thoroughly for about 10 minutes, then let it cool. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The Crust :

1/4 cup (60ml.) of vegetable oil

3 cups (330d.) of flour

2 eggs

1 pinch of salt, 2 pinches of sugar

1 big spoon of ground achiote (optional)

Now, it may not seem like it at first, but making the dough is the most important part of making the salteña. You know you got the recipe right when, once cooked, the dough does not leak the yummy juice hidden inside. Last thing you want is for the filling to ooze out, turning your salteña into one big soggy post-apocalyptic blob.

So here is how it goes. Mix flour, sugar, salt and achiote. Now that last one may not be easy to find* but it's really what gives it the extra-special look and flavor, so if you have a Latino hanging at a corner store or a Latino lover in your closet, ask if he knows where to find some. Beat together eggs, oil, and half a cup of water. Stir into the dry ingredients ( ie. the flour mixture) to form a soft yet slightly sticky dough. The best way to get the right amount of dough for the 15 circles we need to to make after that is taking about the size of a golf ball for each empanada and flattening it so it lays fairly thin on a floured surface.

That Final Touch:

Heat it up! Turn your oven to 425°F (210°C) and put 2 tablespoons of "that-strange-filling-from-last-night" in the center of each circle. Carefully close the deal with a twist seam for braided-effect or however you like it. In certain Bolivian regions, like Tarija, it's common to add an olive, raisins or beaten eggs on top of the mix before closing. Finally, brush up egg whites on the turnovers and bake 15 minutes untill golden brown!