Homemade beef and pork empanadas

My mom's health aide is from Colombia and likes to cook. One day she brought empanadas to eat. I asked her where she got them and she said she made them. I told her I always wanted to know how to make them. She said she would teach me one day. So, last Saturday she and I decided to finally make empanadas. These are the traditional Colombian beef and pork empanadas that are made with a masa (cornmeal) crust not the pie dough kind. Masa crust makes a crispier and crunchy crust with a corn taste. These had a pork and beef filling. Very simple to make with lots of tasty flavorful ingredients. It takes a bit of practice to be able to shape the empanadas and make sure you have an even thin layer of crust for top and bottom so when you fry the empanadas the filling does not come out. The only thing about making empanadas is that they take time to prepare and it is best to eat them the day of. Below is the recipe I wrote from what she told me and showed me how to make. Hope you enjoy and try to make them yourself. You will never buy empanadas again or buy the pie dough version.



Beef and Pork Empanadas

Ingredients:
1 lb. pork, cut into bite size chunks
1 lb. london broil beef, cut into bite size chunks
1 tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
4 potatoes, diced small
5 green onions, finely chopped
salt
black pepper
3 packages sazon goya mix
1 bag masa
1½ to 2 cups warm water

Directions:

1. Take beef and pork and put in heavy pot. Add green onions, potatoes, cilantro, tomatoes, sazon goya mix, salt, black pepper, and a little oil. Cook on medium high heat.
2. Stir and let cook until meat is tender and potatoes have cooked down and mixture turns thick and creamy. Turn off heat and let mixture cool.

3. Make masa crust by pouring whole bag into a mixing bowl add about 1 ½ to 2 cups of warm water. mix with hands, adding more water if needed to get a smooth consistency that is not to wet and not too dry.

4. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Take a golf ball size of masa and place on plastic wrap. fold over the top of plastic wrap. Using your hands flatten out the masa to an even thin layer. Take off the plastic wrap and add a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center. Fold over the masa to enclose the meat. Using a glass, put the top of the glass down on the empanada just halfway creating a moon shaped empanada. Press down to seal and cut. Continue with the rest of the Masa and meat mixture to make empanadas.

5. Heat a heavy high sided pot halfway with oil. Heat until oil reaches 375 degrees F. Place 5-6 empanadas in the oil to fry. Fry until golden brown. Place on a towel lined plate. Continue to fry the rest of the empanadas until all done. Cool slightly then serve.