Plantain and Pinto Bean Empanadas
These Plantain and Pinto Bean Empanadas are plant-based, dynamic in flavor and just right to prepare on the weekends to have as an appetizer or as an add-on to a salad or soup for lunch. Makes 16 to 18 pieces.
Ingredients:
Dough for Empanadas:
245g masa harina
75g cassava flour
1 tbsp baking powder
8g, 1½ tbsp psyllium husk
½ tsp fine Himalayan salt
70ml avocado oil
425ml water
Pinto bean and plantain filling:
225g dry pinto beans
1225ml water
3 tbsp avocado oil
140g - 1 medium-size onion, sliced
15g - 5 garlic cloves, sliced
20g fresh ginger, grated
1 ½ tsp fine himalayan salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground all spice
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp Cameroonian pepper or serrano pepper
Fresh thyme sprigs
1 yellow ripe plantain, 175g
1 green unripe plantain, 185g
add in 205ml pinto bean stock
Directions:
Making the Pinto Bean and Plantain Filling:
Sort through the pinto beans to pick out any broken or rotten pieces then soak them in a large bowl or pot with lots of fresh water. Let them soak overnight for at least 8 to 12 hours.
On the next day, drain out the water, rinse the pinto beans with fresh water and add the washed and drained pinto beans to a large stock pot together with 1.2 litres (1225ml) of water then bring to a boil for 40 minutes until the beans are softened.
Once the beans start to boil, open the pot and slightly cover the pot at a slant, making sure to leave some breathing room so the boiling liquid does not overflow.
While the beans are cooking, peel the plantains and cut each of them into ½ inch cubed-sized pieces then separate them into separate containers - the unripe one aside and the ripe aside.
Measure out all the spices and set them aside - they include fine Himalayan salt, ground black pepper, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom as well as fresh thyme sprigs.
When the pinto beans are done cooking, drain them. Save the beans in one container and reserve the boiling liquid the beans cooked in another container for later on.
On medium heat, add 3 tbsps of avocado oil to a cast iron skillet and add in the cubed green plantain to fry for 2 to 3 minutes, then add in the ripe plantains to fry for 2 minutes together with the unripe ones.
When they are slightly golden, remove the plantains from the cast iron skillet and set them aside or move them to one side of the cast iron skillet.
Next, add in the onions, garlic, ginger and spice combination. Stir well and let everything sauté for 5 -7 minutes until the aromatics are translucent, lightly browned and fragrant. Add the plantains to the aromatics, add in the Pinto beans and 205ml of the pinto beans stock that was used to cook the beans.
Fold in the components gently during cooking and cook for another 5 minutes.
Taste to adjust seasoning and store this filling in a container until it cools completely before forming Empanadas. You may also make the filling the day before and store it in the fridge in preparation to form the Empanadas.
Making the dough:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl by using a whisk. Add in the avocado oil and rub it into the dry mixture using your fingers or whisk it in until the dry mixture turns crumbly and sandy.
Add in the water and combine well using a wooden spoon until you form a shabby dough.
Dust your work surface with some masa flour then transfer the dough to the work surface and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Form a dough and store it in a bowl, cover with lid or wrap and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 16 to 18 pieces and form into a ball. Each ball of dough weighs about 70 - 75 g, it could vary depend on how big or small you want your empanadas.
Assembling the Empanadas:
Flatten each piece of dough using a tortilla press or this alternative method until it measures out to 6 inches in diameter.
Place about a spoonful of the cooled filling in the lower center of the flattened dough and flap one side of the dough over the filling so that the edges touch. Seal the edges together well using your fingers and/or use a fork to decorate the edges by lightly imprinting the pattern of the fork prongs.
Lay each empanada on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until they turn golden. To give the empanadas an elevated look, brush an oil-honey-water mixture on each empanada then garnish each one with fresh thyme leaves them bake as normal. Here’s a gist on that.
Let the empanadas cool down a bit for 5 minutes then serve them as an appetizer or as an add-on to a salad or soup for lunch together with any of these tasty beverages.
These empanadas go by pretty quickly so if you love them aim to make a large batch and keep the rest in the freezer so they don’t go badWhen it’s time to reheat them, place a few at a time on a parchment-lined baking sheet and warm them up in your oven at 350 for about 10 minutes or so until they are crisp on the outside and hot on the inside.
