My beef, pepperoni and cheese Empanadas

   

ok, straight into it, I'm not going to make you read paragraphs of my hopes, dreams, aspirations or thoughts about my version of empanadas.  There are videos, which are linked, here's the ingredients, quickie method and then you can start making yours.

TRACY'S EMPANADAS

DOUGH (dump in a food processor, you can make it by hand if you don't have one)

2 cups all purpose flour
pinch salt
tsp baking powder
1/3 cup ice water mixed with an egg

Dump it all in the food processor, pulse till it's a dough, divide in two, wrap each half, toss in fridge or freezer till you want them.  DONE :)

FILLING *this time it's beef, pepperoni and cheese but you can fill these with ANYTHING

a little oil for the pan
1 lb of ground beef
1 carrot, onion, celery, large garlic clove, chopped small
tomato paste
salt, pepper
italian season blend or whatever herbs/spiced you love
aleppo pepper if you have any, gives a lovely flavor without too much heat

Throw it all in a frying pan, fry till the meat is brown and the veggies are a little soft and the tomato paste is brown.  Add enough water to make a loose mixture.  Cover and simmer about 20, leave to cool, throw in a bag in the fridge till you want it.  Freezes great!! DONE

*shred some mozzarella cheese or whatever cheese you like, put in a ziplock and keep it in the fridge till you're ready.


THE CREATION

Roll half the pastry on a lightly floured board, this stuff is super easy to deal with.

Cut into 6 inch circles, reroll and cut as you need.  I get 4 from each half of dough with a little waste or I make smaller ones with the leftover pastry and filling.

Fill each round with some cheese and a scoop of the cold meat filling.  I use a 2 inch ice cream scoop.

Fold each round and pinch closed.  Either press with a fork to seal or go fancy and roll the edges.

Egg wash each empanada and bake on a parchment lined pan, Preheated 400 oven for 20 mins or so, until lightly browned and heated through, remember the filling is cooked.

EAT! or cool and freeze for another day if you can hide any from your family, or, preferably, just eat them... all!

Here's the links to the videos:

Empanada dough:

Empanada filling:

Empanada bake and the reveal



/thanks for your support, and enjoy!

SUPER easy flaky Biscuits... there's a video too :)

Ok, you want biscuits?  I can get you biscuits on the table in 30 mins if you focus :)


This super quick and easy biscuit recipe can be completed in just 30 minutes! Recipe below! --- --- RECIPE 3 cups all purpose flour 2? TBS sugar, more or less to taste 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (knife tip worth :)) 2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 sticks butter/margarine combo (3/4 cup) I like a combo but you can do all butter or all margarine if you want, I won't judge pinch of salt RUB it all together, float and drop method, yeah, i invented that term ADD 1 cup of milk with 1 egg mixed in Mix with knife, be nice pat on floured surface and roll to a long rectangle fold a couple of times, flip and repeat Pat to about 1 inch, cut biscuits with a straight sided cutter, don't twist!, yeah this is one of those times it really actually matters BAKE in preheated 450 for 15 mins

IF you need to, brush them with butter when they come out of the oven.
Throw them in a basket, be prepared to make more... they're delicious.

EAT!!!

here's the youtube link if you'd like to check out the other videos too...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86yMnLdKoDk


Thanks for all your support, I'm trying a new thing trying to link the blog and the YouTube channel which finally has MY name on it, so I'm Tracy Cooks in Austin everywhere!!!

/tracy

This is the recipe and method for my giant round Boule, the one I take to all the functions, I'll add pics and a video but this is the recipe and method to get you started

This is a quickie howto, I'll do a video and play by play pics in the week BUT I'm occupied for a couple of days and want to get at the measurements and method up for those of you who will do it without the play by plays. 

TRACY'S SINGLE BOULE

In a kitchenaid mixer or something with a dough hook, dump the following, yeah, just dump it in.  I make this bread weekly so, it works. 

600 grams of all purpose flour. (can you use bread flour? sure, but it's more expensive and I don't see any reason to bother)
Heaping tsp of salt 
2 1/2 tsp yeast. (I heap it a little probably)
about 2TB Olive oil (more if you want)
2cups water, slightly warm, pour it in all at once
 
Mix with dough hook till it clears the side of the bowl and is shiny, it takes a while, grab a coffee or a glass of wine and stand there, watching it 


with WET hands, shape the very soft, very loose dough into a ball, quickly, drop it back into the bowl, cover with plastic
Leave to double+, it takes about an hour, maybe

Gently tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, form it into a ball without squashing all the air out of it, smooth the top and place it, seam side down in a parchment lined bowl. 

NO need to flour the parchment, nothing sticks. 

Cover it with plastic loosely, I put it in a dry cleaner bag, leave it to dome generously or double in size. 

PUT a 6qt lidded dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450, at least 45 mins.

Slash the top of the boule with a serrated knife if you feel chefy

Carefully transfer the boule, in the parchment, (lift the corners) into the dutch oven.

Cover and bake 20 mins, remove the lid and bake another 10

Remove the boule to a rack, cool, eat!!!!!!!!!!! 

THIS is my single, small, white loaf of sandwich or anything you want, bread. It is easy, you don't need a machine, trust me, you can do it, I know.

  

 

Single, small, white bread loaf, this makes one, it is easy, you can do it, trust me, I'm the queen :)

The whole method and video is on youtube, BUT the recipe is so easy...

In the bowl of a kitchen mixer (or by hand, you don't need a machine for this) dump it all

RECIPE
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 heaped tsp yeast
1 heaped tsp shortening
water to form a soft dough.

Mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough, form a ball, cover and rise 1 hour
Form to loaf, in greased pan, 45 mins or until double
BAKE in pre-heated 375 oven for 20 mins, spin and cook another 2

REMOVE to rack and cool before you dive in and and eat it all

/enjoy!!!

MY take on paratha, roti or just flaky pully bread for sopping up curry, stew, soup, eggs, or just eating :)

I love bread with a meal, I love dunking, sopping and scooping with bread or a flaky bread like item, this is MY take on paratha, the flaky, shattered loose flatbread eaten all over the world, but not nearly enough in the usa... cmon americans, let's start dunking, sopping, scooping and enjoying the experience of eating with our hands

This is my take so please don't be haters, I'm just cooking dinner after all.  This recipe makes 4 breads but you'll see there sort of turned to rags so I put them all in a big bowl in the middle of the table and you just reach in and rip off hunks to eat with your dinner.

Hope you enjoy it!!

**There's a link to the youtube video at the end of the post for clarification of the two techniques*

TRACY'S PARATHA (ROTI) FLAKY FLATBREAD

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 TB brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup milk/water combo (or just plain water but use the combo)
dribble of plain oil

FOR ROLLING AND COOKING
2 TB shortening (or 1 each butter and shortening)
plain oil
flour for dusting and rollling

METHOD

Mix dough ingredients, all together, at once. to form a smooth (ish), soft dough.
Divide into 4, roll into balls, cover with damp cloth or put in plastic bag, leave to rest 15 mins

Roll each ball to a 10 inch circle (ish), spread some shortening on each and split from the middle to look like pacman.
Roll into a spiral, tuck in tops and bottoms.
Cover with damp towel, leave at least 1 hour, longer is better

Preheat comal or tawa or giant frying pan to medium.  Coat lightly with oil.  Roll one dough ball out to the size of the pan.  Brush lightly with oil.

Cook over medium heat until brown and cooked through, flip a few times.
Transfer to a flat surface and scrunch with your hands, flip and scrunch again.
Put in a lined bowl with foil, to keep warm.

Repeat with other balls,
tear and eat, tear and eat, tear and dunk and dip and scoop and eat eat eat


PLAY BY PLAY WITH ALL THE PICS AND A LITTLE VIDEO TOO 

Combine all dough ingredients in a bowl, you can do this easily by hand, btw, I was just feeling lazy today.

    

It makes a soft, slightly sticky dough, that's what you want. Give it a little knead on a lightly floured board.

    

Divide the dough into 4 little balls.  Cover with a wet cloth or put in a plastic bag, leave about 15 mins.

    

Mix some shortening and some butter, or just use shortening, or just use lard OR you can use oil but don't, it's better with shortening and butter. Roll the dough on a floured surface.

    

Roll out pretty thin, this is how big I do it. Cover with a light coating of the shortening and sprinkle LIGHTLY with flour.  Cut a slit from the middle to the outside.

    

Take one side and start rolling, follow the slice down, around the corner and back up,  Tuck both ends inside.

    

Flatten on the board, just with your hand and pop the balls somewhere to rest, I throw them back in the bowl, with a wet paper towel and a tea towel and forget about them.

     

AHHHHH, now the best part.  Preheat a frying pan or comal or tawa, whatever you have thats BIG and flat.  Hmmm, I wonder if you could use an electric griddle, I think so...  maybe next time.

Ok here we go, after they've rested, roll the balls, with flour, to the size of whatever pan you have, drizzle a little plain oil

    

lightly oil the pan, I use a comal on medium high heat, if it's browning too fast, turn it down.

    

Flip back and forth until it's cooked through.

    

oh lovely and even, flip back and forth another minute or so then transfer to a flat surface...  this is where it gets weird

  

On a flat surface, use both hands and clap together, squashing the bread between, I am having to do it one handed to take pics hahaha

    

roll it like a snowball, loosely until the layers explode and it almost shreds, oh my how lovely and light and flaky and delicious... use it to dip, scoop or just eat...  so so so so good 

   

so, THAT is how I make my paratha, flaky and light and delicious and pully and stretchy and tender and chewy.  

Make this, let me know how much you love it.

HERE is the video that shows the roll and the cook and the squash :) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE9NT6TXmLk

/enjoy!