New Mexico Fruit Empanadas Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Pastry Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a fork, combine the butter and cream cheese. Sift flour over this mixture. Add baking powder, vinegar and water or milk and combine with fork. With generously floured hands, work the dough until you have a smooth resilient ball. 3 to 4 minutes, but keep working the flour into the other ingredients until the dough suddenly holds together. Flour both the table and your rolling pin. Roll out dough and cut out circles. Oil cookie sheets and place circles or sheets, add 1 heaping teaspoon of filling and carefully fold over and crimp with fork and moistening the edge with egg glaze. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Filling Directions: Boil pork. When thoroughly cooked, put in food processor until meat is shredded. Add Raisins, applesauce, sugar, nuts and spices. Mix well and proceed with direction in Empanada Pastry recipe.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into circles, 3 inches in diameter; a plastic lid from a 1 pound coffee can makes perfect circle cutter. Dampen the outside edge of the circle with water. Place 1 1/4 tablespoons of apricot filling in the center of each pastry circle. Fold pastry in half over filling and pinch together to seal; can press with fork to seal. Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over each Empanada. Place Empanadas on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Mix flour and salt in large mixing bowl. Add shortening. Blend flour and shortening into little pieces to look like tiny peas. Add water all at once by sprinkling. Stir with fork to incorporate water into mixture. Add more water if needed. Flour your work surface and hands, scoop dough out of the bowl, place it onto your work surface and pat into a ball. Divide into 3 or 4 smaller balls.
• Place dried fruit in a large pan and cover with water. Cook at medium heat until fruit is soft and almost mushy. Drain excess water. Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (Pinon nuts are optional) into the fruit mixture, stirring until it is thick. Set aside to cool.