Last year, for reasons I still can’t exactly pinpoint but think had to do with getting free shipping from Sur La Table over a certain dollar value of merchandise, I bought a tortilla press. Yes, a tortilla press. A mechanism for hand-pressing fresh tortillas. No, I’m not sure why. But after 5 days the press arrived and I turned to one of my Mexican cookbooks and found a recipe that incorporated fresh tortillas into a kind of tortilla casserole. Because why would I do a test round of fresh tortillas when I could make an entire recipe that centered around them?
Almost immediately, things weren’t off to a promising start. What I thought was masa harina was not, and I created about 10 weird floppy tortillas that did not hold together before realizing my mistake. I hopped in a cab and went to Kalustyan’s to get the real deal and brought it home to start again. I opened the bag and a number of moths flew out. I hopped in another cab and went back to exchange my bag. Half a day had passed at this point and my mood was rapidly deteriorating. I decided to gather my materials and head to the suburbs to see my parents and finish cooking there.
Things did not improve. The rest of the day was spent toiling over the stove, toasting dried chiles, cooking chicken. Once assembled and cooked, the dish tasted like…nothing. Like 12 hours’ worth of absolutely nothing. To date, I think of this dish as my biggest dud in every way. Looking at the tortilla press infuriated me. I hid it under my wok and forgot about it.
This week there was a big box of ripe yellow plantains at Fairway and I became kind of obsessed with making plantain empanadas. I got the ingredients, including queso fresco which I walked to 104th St. to acquire, before realizing that the recipe required using the aforementioned tortilla press. At this point, already committed, I decided to dig out the albatross, quite literally dust it off and give it another try.
These empanadas are amazing. They’re amazing because 1) they’re empanadas, which are delicious without exception, 2) they’re made out of plantains which are so tasty and 3) they’re fried. I’m going to give you my honest version of this recipe below, because I will admit that at 9pm, while pulsing my food processor full of baked plantains that were not ripe or baked enough, I did yell above the noise to my friend “WE MIGHT BE ORDERING DINNER TONIGHT.” I persevered, improvised just a little and was met with almost unmatched success. These are not hard to make. They are amazing. Make them, please. No tortilla press required. And if you do, make them with this delicious and easy salsa.
Ingredients
- 3 large (about 2 lbs. total) yellow-ripe (not black and mushy-soft) plantains
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more for forming the turnovers
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup (about 6 oz.) crumbled Mexican queso fresco or pressed, salted farmer's cheese
- Vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch, for frying
- Coarse salt, for serving
- 2 tablespoons cotija cheese, grated, for serving
- 1 cup salsa, for serving
Instructions
- Turn on the oven to 350°F. Cut the ends off the unpeeled plantains. Make a shallow incision down their length, then cut them crosswise in half. Bake the plantains on a baking sheet until very soft, about 40 minutes, then use 2 forks to peel back the skins to allow the steam to escape as they cool completely.
- Scrape the cooled plantains into a food processor and puree; there will be about 2 cups. (If the plantains don't become the consistency of a puree, add up to 1/3 cup of water to bring it together). Add the flour and salt, and pulse the mixture until the flour is incorporated.
- Divide the cheese into 12 equal portions; press each portion into a flat oval and cover with plastic wrap. Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll the balls between your floured palms. Roll the balls lightly in flour. Cut 2 squares of medium-heavy plastic (a garbage bag works well) to cover the plates of your tortilla press. Lightly flour the plastic, then use the tortilla press to flatten a ball of dough between the plastic into a 4- to 5-inch disc about 1/8 inch thick. Place 1 portion of the cheese on one side, then use the plastic wrap to help fold the unfilled side over the cheese. Press the edges firmly together with your fingertips to seal in the cheese. Gently remove the plastic wrap and lay the turnover on a clean towel that has been generously sprinkled with flour. Continue until you've made 12 empanadas.
- If you do not have a tortilla press, don't despair! Roll each ball out into a disc between two pieces of plastic with a rolling pin until it is 1/8 inch thick.
- Turn the oven to the lowest setting and line a plate with paper towels. Heat the oil in a medium-to-large (9-to 10-inch) heavy skillet until hot - about 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the empanadas 2 or 3 at a time, turning occasionally, until nicely golden, about 2 minutes total. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with coarse salt and cotija cheese and keep warm in a low oven until all are fried. Serve at once on a warm serving platter or a basket lined with cloth. Enjoy with salsa.
- If you'd like to do some of this in advance, the formed empanadas can be covered and refrigerated for up to several hours before frying. The finished empanadas are best just hot out of the skillet, but they can be fried successfully early in the day, cooled, lightly covered, and refrigerated. Reheat in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/08/25/plantain-empanadas-with-fresh-cheese-filling-empanadas-de-platano/
