Chimichurri Beef Empanadas

prep: 30 minutes
bake: 12 to 15 minutes
serves: 12

for the Chimichurri you’ll need…
2 cups cilantro, firmly packed
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

for the beef filling you’ll need…
½ lb. ground beef
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
1 14 oz. pkg. Goya Tapas Para Empanadas (Puff Pastry Dough for Turnovers) or Goya Discos empanada dough
1 egg, beaten

let’s get to it…
Place two oven racks in the middle of the oven; heat oven to 425°F.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Pulse cilantro, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and crushed red pepper in a blender or food processor until blended, but not completely smooth.
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes longer. Remove from heat and drain.
Stir 1-cup Chimichurri into the meat mixture.
Roll out dough with a rolling pin, ¼-inch larger in diameter.
Spoon 1-tablespoon meat mixture in center of dough. Brush the edge of the top half with a little water. Fold in half to form a half moon; pinch to seal edges as shown below (click on the image to make it larger). You can also use a fork to press down and seal the edges. Place Empanadas on baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve remaining Chimichurri sauce with the empanadas.

How to Make the Decorative Border on an Empanada
(courtesy Gran Cocina Latin by Maricel E. Presilla)

Ice Cream Filled Swans in Chocolate Sauce

prep: 45 minutes
cook: 45 minutes

for the Swans you’ll need:
1 cup water
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

for the Filling you’ll need…
1 cup flaked coconut
2 pints ice cream (use your favorite flavor)

for the Sauce you’ll need…
1 package (8 squares) Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 cup whipping cream

let’s get to it…

for the Swans…
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with anti-stick spray; set aside. Move oven racks so that one is in the center of oven. Heat oven to 400°F.
Heat the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat until the butter melts; remove from heat.
Add the flour all at once and stir until the dough forms a ball.
Stir the eggs into the dough one at a time until the mixture is glossy (I used an electric stand mixer to make the tough job go faster).
Spoon the dough into a Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bag. Push the dough into one corner, squeeze out the air, seal and cut off a tiny tip of the bag.
Place one of the lined baking sheets in front of you and pipe 20 small “S” shapes, like question marks, but with the second end slightly curved. Make the swan’s beak by using a toothpick to pull the tip at the edge of the head. (I always make 20 just in case one or two break).
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Cut a slightly larger hole in the Ziploc Bag. Place the remaining lined baking sheet in front of you and pipe out 18 teardrop-shaped mounds, about 2-inches long and an inch high.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown (they will sound hollow when tapped). Prick each with a skewer to let steam escape. Cool completely.
Slice off the top on a diagonal with a serrated or bread knife. Cut the sliced off top piece into two pieces (these will be the wings); set aside.

for the Filling…
Place the coconut in a shallow dish.
Working quickly, gently roll 1-rounded tablespoon of ice cream in the coconut and place on a plate. Repeat until you have 18 coconut-covered scoops.
Place on a plate and return to the freezer until ready to assemble and serve.

for the Sauce…
Microwave the chocolate and whipping cream in a large microwaveable bowl on high for 2-minutes; stir and microwave 2-minutes longer.
Stir with a wire whisk until chocolate is melted and completely blended; set aside until needed.

let’s put it all together…
Spoon 1-tablespoon of the chocolate sauce into a small dessert bowl.
Place the bottom of the Swan in the chocolate sauce.
Place one coconut-covered ice cream scoop inside the Swan.
Attach the “S” shaped neck to the front and the wings to the either side. Serve immediately.

cooking know how: Get someone to help you assemble the swans just before serving… it will keep the ice cream from melting and will make a nicer presentation!

Puff Pastry Straws

prep: 30 minutes

cook: 12 to 14 minutes

makes: 24 straws

you’ll need…

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ package (7 to 8 oz.) puff pastry dough

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon anise seeds

½ teaspoon chili powder

let’s get to it…

Preheat oven to 425°F with the rack in the center. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

Dust a large work surface with flour; unfold the dough on the flour and roll out until it is a 12-by-16-inch rectangle, about ⅛-inch thick.

Brush the bottom half of the rectangle with the beaten egg (you won’t use all of it).

Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese on the top of the rectangle (the part that DOESN’T have the egg). Fold the bottom half (with the egg) over the top half. Gently roll dough again to seal in the cheese.

Cut the dough into 3 strips lengthwise. Cut the 3 strips in half.

Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on 2 of the strips, the anise seeds on 2 strips and the chili powder on the remaining 2 strips.

Cut each of the strips into 4 strips so you have 24 strips in total.

Hold each end of one strip of dough with your fingers and twist in opposite directions to form a spiral. (You may also want to lay the piece of dough on your work surface and twist the ends of each strip in opposite directions using the flat side of your hand).

Place each spiral on the baking tray about 1-inch apart and press ends down so spirals don’t unravel. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7 minutes; rotate tray in oven and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.