Oscar Party Empanaditas

Its Monday , so it must be time for this weeks recipe.

I want to keep the weekly recipe  topical and relevant in the middle of our day to day chaos.
My Egyptian friends suggested something Middle Eastern like felafel  or chummos , and my cheesehead friends from Wisconsin wanted a pareve cheesecake to tempt the  Democrats back to the statehouse .

But I want to concentrate on the upcoming Academy Awards and prepare  some snacks for your Oscars party.

I like snacks to be flavorful, easy to serve and eat, and just a little bit out of the ordinary.With that in mind, For Your Consideration, Chicken and Black Bean Empanadas. Served with Salsa Crudo.

Chicken and Black Bean Empanadas

The first step is to make the dough :
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tbsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup ice water
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut the shortening into the flour as though you were making a pie crust by working it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle dough with just enough ice water so that it will just hold together. Knead together briefly and allow to rest, covered about 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting you can move along into the filling.
¼ cup oil
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups shredded chicken

Saute onions and garlic until soft then add spices and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add black beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook until beans are heated through, about 5 minutes and then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add cilantro and stir well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out dough to a ⅛ inch thickness about 12 by 16 inches.Cut into 12 4x4 inch square.
Moisten edges of dough with beaten egg. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on one half of dough and fold remaining half over filling. Use fork to seal edges and brush tops with beaten egg. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Salsa Cruda.





Salsa Cruda                                                                                    

• 1-1/2 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 large jalapeno chile, seeded, minced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Mix all ingredients and serve with Empanadas.

Enjoy these treats and  remember, you’re all winners at Smokey Joe’s.  Moshe