Week 8 – Ground beef empanadas
So, this week’s recipe is a very simple one you can have with a side salad or a nice side of rice and a salad. So, in my home having a Spanish meal would happen everyday if I allow my little one to pick it, but this is one of his favorites. Now with this dish I had to learn to adjust because of my surgery. So, instead of frying them like you normally do I actually bake them. You could use an air fryer as well, but an oven does work.
When creating magic in the kitchen, the number one thing you want to always remember is that no matter what the magic you create it is going to bring you a sense of peace. You are cooking to maybe get rid of a bad day, maybe you are cooking to show someone you love them, maybe you are showing your kids how to survive by cooking for themselves. No matter what your reason is cooking can open up the doors for magic to be released and by using certain ingredients you can put your intentions what ever they may be in that food and bring that intention to a higher state.
MAGICAL ITEMS
WATER – So why did I put water first you maybe wondering. Well with water you can seal that item up with the best or worst of intentions. Now I don’t do the magic that I would put the worst in my food. One because of who I am feeding that food to and two it is not me. But using water in magic has many reasons that it can be used. You can use water to create spells, you can use water to create potions, you can you water to create sacred spaces, we use water for the phases of the moon when we create moon water, we use water in simmering pots, we use water to cleanse our auras, we use water to heal and banish evil out of our lives, the list can go on…… So, in this case even though that is a small amount of water remember when putting that seal on it you can seal in all the things you want this food to bring to your table. All the things that you want your food to accomplish for you.
DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS IN THE SOFRITO – Tomatoes – can ward off evil, in some spell work you can substitute a tomato instead of an apple, tomatoes can be used to bring love and passion into a home, - Onions – onions are a unique item, there is ways of putting this items with other ingredients such as with peppermint tea and use this for fighting a cold, Onions if done in a braid and placed out side your front door does not allow the negative energy to enter, and onions have been known to increase the sexual energy in the home as well. – Garlic – It is a protective herb, like water garlic has multiple things they can be used for. They have been used for banishing, courage, love spells, protection spells, warding off evil from entering a home. When eating in its truest form it can cause you to be ready for pleasure.
DIFFERENT INGREDIGENTS IN ADOBE – Garlic powder, oregano, black pepper and turmeric.
DIFFERENT INGREDIGENTS IN SAZON – Annatto, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, dried cilantro, saffron,
Ingredients
1 – 2 packages of the large Goya disk empanadas dough. These for all that do not know are round disks of dough that are either orange because of the season in them or pale white color for these do not have the seasoning. (I use the ones that are the orange in color. They just have more flavor in my opinion).
2 – 2.5 lbs. of ground beef
Adobe season
Sazon season
A couple tablespoons of Sofrito – This can be store bought or made at home (an either red or green sauce that has tomatoes, onions, green peppers, garlic and herbs. Depending how it is made can have other ingredients in them). I prefer the green sofrito just because of the taste it has.
1 small can of Goya tomato sauce
1 small 2 oz of water
Directions:
1. Cook the meat till done. This means all the red or pink should be out of the meat.
2. Drain the grease from the meat.
3. Add some of the sofrito, tomato sauce, adobe, and sazon to the precook meat. Letting this kind of get the liquid down to make almost like a sloppy joe style mix.
4. Lay the empanada shell keeping the plastic under the dough so that it will be easier to work with.
5. Take a TABLESPOON of meat and place on one side of the shell leaving enough room to seal with the other side when time. Then when you get a good amount of meat on the disk, take the other side and fold over and close the dough to the other end of the dough creating a seal by using the water to seal shut. You will from here use a fork and pinch the two pieces of dough together to create a tight seal. REMEMBER THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL SEAL THOSE WONDERFUL INTENTIONS IN.
6. Once you have sealed all the shells together you want to start the process of placing them on a baking sheet. Set your oven to 375-400 degrees. You want to ensure that the dough is cook through. I usually cook them about 25-30 mins just because I want mine a little harder.
Once done as stated before you can have plain white rice or a nice salad. The great thing about empanadas is that you have no limit to the filling. Let’s say you have left over chicken, well guess what tear that chicken up and use it, want to make a quick sweet treat of apple pies, fill them up with apple compote (just use the plain disks instead of the ones with seasoning), you want to go veggies then you can use mushrooms, onions, peppers, cheese, squash, pumpkin.
This is one of the great things. Anything can be in the middle of that empanadas. It is what makes you happy at the end of the day, and ultimately that is what food should do. Bring you a sense of peace when you eat it.