Ingredients of a Woman

   
Empanadas are these turnovers, filled with all kind of meat, cheese, herbs, spices and even fruit. I love pretty much all versions of them, fried, baked, grilled, you name it!

Today I’m trying them grilled with picadillo (ground beef) filling. MMhhh, the smell of the warm masa is unmistakable. This version has a rustic look, they are crispy outside,
only in some places, and soft in others, they are juicy inside. My suggestion is to accompany them with some salsa, but if you want, you could even serve them with a little soup.

   
You will need an artifact like this:

The tortilla press or “tortillera”, how it’s called in Mexico.

   
Let’s talk about the masa. You need some corn fresh-ground corn masa, it could be easily found in most of the Hispanic supermarkets.

   
Use two pieces of plastic to protect the masa from sticking to the tortilla press, a thicker plastic will work better.

   
Roll the masa into balls, its consistency should be soft, just like cookie dough, and place it between the plastic sheets.

   
Press the masa, if need it, turn around the tortilla and press again, until it gets even, all around.

   
Peel of the top sheet, and the result will be something like this:

   
Add the filling on top of only half of the tortilla, picadillo this time, but you could use about anything.

   
Fold over the other half of the tortilla like this:

   
Still using the plastic, press the edges. We are almost done.

   
Peel off the plastic and place the empanada on a hot skillet, or flat nonstick pan, let it cook a little on one side,

   
then turn it over and let it cook some more.

   
Keep turning until is completely cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes, they will look browned in some places, here is a close up:

   
Keep making more…

   
We are done!

   
Serve with salsa, mmhh, mmhh…

   
Or just by itself:

   
Enjoy!

Alba

   
Ingredients
1 lb of fresh grounded corn masa
Any filling of your preference

Tortilla press (tortillera)
2 plastic sheets

   
Preparation
Roll the masa into balls, its consistency should be soft, just like cookie dough. Cover the bottom part of the
tortillera with a piece of plastic, then, place a masa ball between the plastic sheets.
Press the masa ball until you get a flat tortilla.
Add the filling on half of the tortilla and fold the other half over.
Carefully press with your fingers to seal the empanada.
Cook the empanada on a hot flat pan or skillet, turning over every 25 to 30 seconds until is done.
Serve them with salsa.

   
Buen Provecho!