Roxana's Empanada.

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Follow us on Instagram @gourmandisela Roxana's Empanada. Can we discuss frying before we get into our awesome empanadas talk? First off, relax. Set yourself up for success with these sweet little steps: 1. Clean up your space. Create a center station for frying with your ready-t0-be-fried items on one side of the oil and a cooling rack on a cookie sheet for the other side. 2. Wash and dry your tools and pan thoroughly before frying. Most of the splattering in frying is caused by water droplets jumping off the hot oil. 3. Use a thermometer. When frying, you'll either be doing it at 350 (lighter fare, as in doughnuts) or 375 (for darker, crisper, say...apple fritters). 4. Use tongs or slotted spoons to gently lower your items in the hot oil- and another to lift them out.   5. Once the oil has cooled down a bit, place a strainer over a container (glass or otherwise). Line the strainer with a coffee filter and pour the oil into the container. Store the oil in a cool, dark place until the next time you're ready to fry! You good? Awesome. Now, onto Roxana and her sweet and savory pockets. Here's what we love about the fold-over: every culture has them. Mezzalunas in the pasta class, hand pies in at the state fair, samosas and English pasties. Between Spain and South America, Roxana's assembled three doughs and four fillings for her class. Check out my personal favorite below (next to the jammy ones, of course), and email us if you have any questions (also, you really need to follow Ms. Jullapat on Instagram). Argentinian Empanadas Makes 12 empanadas 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour  1 teaspoon kosher salt  1/4 teaspoon baking powder  1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp water 1/4 cup oil  2 tablespoons white vinegar 1.Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to form a uniform dough. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 2.Roll the dough on a floured surface to a very thin thickness - as thin as you can get it. Using a biscuit cutter, cut 12 circles about 4-inches in diameter each. 3.Fill each circle with a few tablespoons of the filling of your choice (see below), fold in half and pinch the edges together to seal. Crimp the edges as desired. 4.Once all the empanadas are shaped, fill a medium heavy pot half way with vegetable oil. Heat up the oil until a digital thermometer registers 350 F. 5.Fry 3 to 4 empanadas at a time until they brown on the outside. Transfer the fried empanadas to a plate lined with paper towels. Let them drain for 5 minutes and serve while still warm.    Beef Picadillo  3 tablespoons oil  1 onion, small diced  1 each bell pepper, small diced  4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly  1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped  1 pound ground beef 1/4 cup green olives, pitted  1/4 cup raisins  2 teaspoons kosher salt  Black pepper, to taste 1.Heat up a large skillet over medium to high heat and drizzle with the oil. 2.Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro and cook until the vegetables are translucent.  3.Add the ground beef and stir with a wooden spoon to combine and break the beef into smaller pieces. Sauté until the beef is cooked through, stirring occasionally.  4.Stir in the olives and raisins and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.  5.Transfer to a plate and let it cool completely before stuffing your empanadas. Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley