home    menus    recipes    stuff to buy


Smoked Rib-Eye Goat Cheese Empanada

At Sub Rosa we go bonkers over these empanadas. This one is your typical over-the-top flavor bombs. Smoked meat and rich cheese. Intense. These little meat pies folded into bite size servings call your name and beckon you to eat them. Of course you are thinking Syrah or Zinfandel to go with this empanada, but consider a rich Riesling that cleanses the palate yet pairs so well with the goat cheese and smoky meat.

With the demise of Café Azul in Portland last year, that leaves the field wide open for haute cuisine de mexicana. This recipe is decidedly contemporary, but very delicious.

Here's what you need for the steak filling:

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon dried chipotle chile powder

1 16-ounce rib-eye steak (about 1 1/4 inches thick)

2 cups hickory or mesquite wood chips, soaked in water 1 hour, drained

1 9-inch-diameter disposable aluminum foil pan

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

The crust

4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup lard, room temperature

1/2 cup (or more) room-temperature water

1 4- to 5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese

2 eggs, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Here's what you do:

For the steak filling:
Mix first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over both sides of steak. Chill overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place drained wood chips in aluminum foil pan; place pan directly atop coals on barbecue. When chips begin to smoke, sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Grill steak about 6 minutes per side for rare. Cool slightly. Trim and discard any fat from steak, then finely chop steak.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add chopped steak and tomato paste; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For the crust:
Blend flour, paprika, and salt in processor. Add lard by tablespoonfuls to processor. Yes, lard. This makes the crust light and flaky and muy athentico. Using on/off turns, cut in the lard until coarse meal forms. Add 1/2 cup water; process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Oil 2 large baking sheets. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to generous 1/8-inch thickness. Using 4-inch-diameter plate or bowl as guide, cut out rounds. Place 1 rounded tablespoon steak filling in center of each dough round. Top filling on each with scant 1 teaspoon goat cheese. Brush dough edges with egg glaze. Fold dough over filling, enclosing filling. Using fork, seal crust edges to give it that 'finished' look. Transfer empanadas to prepared sheets. Repeat with second dough disk, remaining filling, and cheese. Gather and reroll dough scraps and cut out additional rounds until all dough is used. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover empanadas and remaining egg glaze separately and chill.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush empanadas with remaining egg glaze. Bake empanadas until crust is golden, about 28 minutes. Transfer to plates.

At Sub Rosa, we create several different fillings from other meals then make up an assortment of empanadas for guests to munch on. Fillings can be made ahead of time, so it's easy to chop up last nights extra chicken breast, spice it to later put into the dough wrapper. This recipe takes a bit more work due to smoking the meat, but while you have your smoker - out keep it going and give those pulled pork sandwiches at try.

Source: Bon Appétit - September 2003

Sub Rosa Recipes