Empanandas

Empanadas with an apple filling
Ingredients:






Pastry:
1 cup butter,or 2 sticks
1 package of cream cheese
2-3 cups of flour
3 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
4-5 firm green apples (like Granny Smith)
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt (to taste)

For the top of the empanada:
1 egg yolk
Sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:
Make the pastry dough: Add the flour, salt and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and mix thoroughly

Add the butter and the cream cheese, just until mixture starts to come together. Add the vanilla and mix together.

Make the filling:
Peel and core the apples, then cut them into small cubes. Add apples to a saucepan with the butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Stir apples over medium heat, cooking them until they are just tender.

Remove apples from heat.

Chill apple mixture for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

(If you don't have time... just mix the cut apples with sugar, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon)

Shape empanadas: Roll out dough (in 2 or 3 batches)on floured surface to about 1/4-1/8 inch thickness. Cut circles of dough about 5-6 inches in diameter.

Wet the edge of a dough circle slightly, all around the perimeter. Place 1 scant tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough. Fold the circle in half, enclosing the filling, and pinch the edges together firmly to seal, flattening and extending them slightly as you pinch them. Fold and crimp the flattened edge over itself decoratively. (see how to fill and shape empanadas. Repeat with remaining empanadas.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix egg yolk with a little bit of water and brush over empanadas. Sprinkle empanadas with sugar.

Bake empanadas until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

These are best eaten warm, and can be reheated in a low oven.

Makes about 20-25 empanadas.

Cooking Terms

• bake: to cook in the oven (like a cake)
• batter: a mixture of flour, eggs, and sometimes fat (i.e. butter) used to prepare cakes, muffins, etc.
• beat: briskly whipping or stirring with a spoon, fork, wire whisk, etc.
• boil: to heat water or other liquids until bubbling (about 212 degrees F or 100 degrees C)
• chop: cut up into irregular pieces with nos set size as a result.
• cream: to stir a fat (usually butter) and sugar together until the mixture is creamy.
• colander: perforated bowl made of metal or plastic that is used to strain or drain foods (i.e. pasta)
• dice: to cut into cubes
• fry: to cook in hot fat.
• grate: to shred food (such as cheese) into fine pieces by rubbing it against a course surface.
• levener: ingredient such as yeast that produces air bubbles and causes a mixture to rise.
• mince: to chop or dice food into tiny, 1/8 inch or less irregular pieces.
• rest: to leave a yeast dough in a warm place and allow it to double in volume.
• melt: to liquefy a fat (such as butter) or gel by heating it.
• mix: to combine ingredients by hand or with a mixer to blend them together evenly.
• roux: a mixture of flour and butter used to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies.
• saute: to cook in a pen or skillet over high heat in a small amount of fat
• sift: removing lumps in dry ingredients such as flour by passing it through a strainer or sifter.
• simmer: to maintain the temperature of a liquid just below boiling.
• whip: to beat a preparation to introduce air into it (make it light and fluffy).
• whisk: to fluff by beating briskly. The utensil for this is also called a whisk.
• zest: the skin of citrus fruits (lemons, oranges). The oils make it ideal for use as a flavoring.

Cooking Abbreviations

• T = Tbsp = Tablespoon
• t = tsp = teaspoon
• oz = ounce
• fl oz = fluid ounce
• pkg = package
• pt = pint
• qt = quart
• gal = gallon
• lb = pound
• F = Farenheit
• C = Celsius
• 1 dash = 1/4 t. or less
• 1 pinch = 1/8 t. or less
• juice of 1 lemon = 2-3 T
• juice of 1 orange = ~1/2 c.

Easy pizza dough recipe

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 12 inch pizza crust
Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt



Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.
From: allrecipes.com

Pizza sauce: (feel free to add or take out what you would like)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of oregano
1/2 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
large can of tomato puree
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tomato chopped
You can cook on low heat until bubbling and then take it off the heat and let it sit to cool a bit before putting it on the pizza.

Toppings:
Mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Any vegetable, meat or instead of tomato sauce- just olive oil.