Globe-cooking recipe : Baked cheese empanadas (Ecuador)

After the disaster that was my Honduran Pupusas, I was doubly pleased with the way my Baked Cheese Empanadas, representing Ecuador who are also playing today, came out. They were as delicious as they were simple to make.

Baked cheese empanadas

ingredients :

for the dough :

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1/8 tsp salt

85g butter

1 egg

3 tbsp water

for the filling :

2 leeks

2 slices ham

1 cup grated cheese

2 tbsp Philadelphia cheese

In a large bowl, mix the salt into the flour and rub in the butter to make breadcrumbs. Add the egg and water and form into a ball of dough. Put in the fridge for 1/2 hour while you make the filling.

Finely chop the leeks and gently fry them in a little butter or olive oil. When they go soft and start to colour, turn off the heat, mix in the chopped ham and cheeses. Leave to cool.

Roll out the dough and use your largest cookie cutter to cut out discs.

Ball together the scraps and roll it back out until you've run out of dough. I had just enough for 10.

Put a tablespoon full of filling on one half of the disc.

Fold the pastry over and seal the edges with a fork. I always wondered how to get that crimped edge !

It's so simple, even the kids came and had a go.

Pop them on a baking tray and brush a little egg wash over the top. Put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

You could fill these with whatever you like really, but these got a unanimous thumbs up from the Madhouse Family.

I'm joining in with the World Cup recipe challenge over on the Cooking Around The World blog

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Globe-cooking recipe : Crab Spring Rolls (Vietnam)

Globecooking recipe : Bananas Ghana (Ghana)

Globe-cooking recipe : Chile Rellenos Casserole (Costa Rica)