off the menu
Chorizo Empanadas Empanadas are party food. You keep making them until a platter stays populated with them for more than a few minutes. You can make other versions as well: black beans and cheese, roasted vegetables, shredded chicken adobo. Chef Rembold’s recipe is lush with cheese and chorizo, and a few of the half moons next to a green salad are a meal.
Canola oil for frying ½ pound chorizo or other sausage ½ onion, diced ½ fennel bulb, diced 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced 1 cup tomato sauce Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 to 3 ounces fontina cheese, grated 2 to 3 ounces cheddar cheese, grated 2 to 3 ounces gruyère cheese, grated 2 tablespoons granulated sugar ½ tablespoon yeast 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons oil 3½ cups all-purpose flour
Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Remove the sausage meat from its casing and sauté it until brown, breaking it apart with a spatula as you cook. Remove meat with a slotted spoon. Place the onion, fennel, and jalapeño in the pan and let the mixture cook in the remaining sausage fat over low heat until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the sausage to the pan and add the tomato sauce; season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the grated cheeses to the mixture and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cups warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Add the salt and oil, and then add the flour. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest in a warm spot for 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a cylinder and cut into 8 or 16 slices. Form each slice into a ball and roll flat into 3- or 6-inch circles about 18 inch thick. Lightly brush the edge of each circle with water. Place about 2 or 4 tablespoons of filling in the middle and fold the dough over the filling, making a half circle. Press the edges with a fork to seal. (At this point, the empanadas can be stored frozen for up to a month.) Heat an inch of oil in a large skillet to about 360°F and fry empanadas in batches until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove each batch of empanadas to paper towels; drain and serve hot. Makes 8 large or 16 small empanadas
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