Growing up, empanadas were always a big thing. There are so many variations and every country has its own traditional dough and filling. Ecuador is no exception! Although there are so many different types of empanadas I would say that there are three that are known by most Ecuadorians: empanadas de morocho, empanadas de viento, and green plantain empanadas! This is a 4 ingredient recipe. It is simple and delicious!
Ingredients
Yields 12-14 empanadas
- 3 green plantains
- 1 8oz bag of mozzarella cheese
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ cup hot water
- Oil for frying (enough to make a layer of 1/2 an inch)
Directions
1. Set a pot with water to boil (large enough to fit the cut up green plantains)
2. Peel the green plantains by cutting the peel lengthwise and cut them into 1-inch pieces
3. Place the green plantains in the pot with boiling water and let them cook for 20 minutes.
4. Scoop out the plantains from the pot and place them in a food processor with ¼ cup of water that was used to cook them and 2 tsp salt.
5. Blend until a dough is formed.
6. Cover the surface you’ll be using with plastic wrap or parchment paper. This is important because the dough will be very sticky. Carefully scoop out the dough and place it on top of the plastic wrap or parchment paper.
7. Form ping-pong balls (or a little bigger) to create each empanada disk.
8. Place each ball between parchment paper or plastic wrap and press it down with a flat object such as a tortilla press or a cutting board to create each disk. You can use a tortilla press or the bottom of a flat object such as a pan to press it down.
9. Place mozzarella cheese in the middle of each of the disks and close them by folding each disk in half and pressing along the edges until they stick
10. Heat up a frying pan on medium heat with 1/2 inch of oil. Place the empanadas in the pan and flip them over when they start to brown.
11. Serve and enjoy with hot sauce!
Kosher Latina 