Empanadas

Empanadas with ham and cheese

Empanadas are probably originally from Argentina, but they meanwhile they are common throughout South America and an integral part of Mexican cuisine.
You can make the dough for the empanadas yourself, but it is fast and easy prepared with puff pastry from the store. Let your fantasy run wild- you can fill the empanadas with cheese, chicken, mince, vegetables, tuna or seafood. Here is a tasty and spicy variation with ham and cheese.

Ingredients (for about 8 to 10 empanadas)

150 g cooked ham
200 g cheddar
2 rolls of puff pastry (à 275 g)
2 fresh jalapenos
1 egg
3 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Chipotle mustard
1 splash of tabasco sauce
Pepper, salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200 ° C.
Cut the ham into strips. Grate the cheese. Core the chillies and finely chop them.
In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chilies, mustard and tabascos auce, then cheese and ham.
Cover a baking tray with baking paper. Mix an egg in a cup.
Roll out the puff pastry on a floured working surface and cut 8 to 10 circles (approx. 12 cm in diameter). Place a tsp of ham-and-cheese-sauce on one half of the dough, leave 1 cm edge free.
Brush the edges with the egg, then Cover with the other half, and firmly press down around the edges with a fork to seal. Prick the top of the empanadas several times with a fork, and brush tops lightly with the egg yolk mixture.
Place the empanadas on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 200°C and another 10 minutes at 180°C.
Serve hot with a green salad and Pico de Gallo salsa.

Image source: Fotolia - # 72273029 © Brent Hofacker