Sweet-Potato Empanadas

Name: Sweet-Potato Empanadas
Yield: makes 30 empanadas
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon table salt; 1 3/4 cups shortening, at room temperature; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (or 2 15 1/2-ounce cans sweet potatoes); 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks; 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste

December 9, 2011

Empanadas are a quintessential example of what traditional Latin food is made of: rock-solid and time-tested techniques that can be adapted to accommodate what’s available regionally, or in the case of my Aunt Elsa, what was in her pantry. She could pull together the most delicious combinations of ingredients out of what appeared to be thin air and then fill and fry a few dozen pastry wrappers in a flash. When Thanksgiving rolled around, these were our version of the classic American pumpkin pie. Tender, flaky, and lightly sweet, these little “Mexican pumpkin pies” make delicious appetizers, too.

Recipe notes

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