I had some friends in from out of town and wanted to make easy “hand” food for the morning. So, I made these breakfast empanadas. There’s a little work involved on my part, but they’re very easy for my guests to enjoy. Here are some pictures of the steps, and the recipe follows.
Once I made the dough and let it chill overnight, I divided it into 8 portions.
Roll each portion out to a 6″ circle.
For the filling, I sautéed chicken andouille sausage with chopped red pepper. And, then I scrambled 6 eggs and mixed them with chives and 3 ounces of cream cheese.
For each empanada, I place 1/8 of the sausage and egg mixture in the center.
Dampen the surface of the dough on the edge and then fold the dough over the filling.
Then, make a small fold on one edge. to start crimping the edge.
Continue all the way around until the edge is sealed.
Place on a baking sheet and brush with egg wash.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F (or until golden brown).
Serve them up with fresh fruit!
Breakfast Empanadas with Chicken Andouille Sausage, Eggs and Cheese
Ingredients
Dough
2 cu All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tbl Sugar
1 tbl Unsalted Butter, chilled
6 tbl Vegetable Shortening
1/2 cup water
1 Egg Yolk
Filling
6 oz Andouille Flavored Chicken Sausage, sliced and chopped
2 tbl Unsalted
1 bunch Chives, finely chopped
1/2 med Red Pepper, diced
6 lg Eggs
3 oz Cream Cheese, softened and cut or torn into small pieces
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 1/4 cu Pepper Jack Cheese, finely shredded
Egg Wash
1 lg Egg
1 tsp Water
Method
Make the dough: Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Add salt and sugar and stir to combine. Dice butter and add to flour. Add shortening to flour in small teaspoon sized dollops. Using a pasty cutter or two forks, mix ingredients together until butter and shortening are fully incorporated and mixture looks crumbly. Chill for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mix egg yolk and water in a bowl. Slowly add liquid to flour mixture, stirring as you pour. Using your hands, work mixture into a dough, kneading until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add a tiny bit of water, about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if dough isn’t coming together. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour to overnight.
Make the filling: When ready to make the empanadas, Whisk together the eggs in a bowl until frothy. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat sausage and red pepper in a large saucepan over medium high heat until sizzling and peppers are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the eggs and stir until eggs are scrambled and just cooked. Add chives and stir. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the softened cream cheese. Set aside.
Make the empanadas: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divid the chilled dough into 8 equal portions. With each portion, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to form a 6” circle. Spoon 1/8 of the egg mixture into the center. Top with 1/8 of the chicken sausage and pepper jack cheese. Dip you index finger in water and moisten the outside edge of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling and seal the edges. Starting at one edge, fold a bit of sealed seam inward. Starting at the edge of the first fold, fold a second portion inward. Continue making folds all the way around the seam. Repeat with remaining dough.
Make the egg wash. Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Place the empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the top surface with the egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes or until empanadas are golden brown. Serve warm but be careful as ingredients will be quite hot.