Empanada Day - April 8

No one knows exactly when empanadas first came around, but there is mention of them in Medieval Iberia during the Moorish invasions and again in a 1520 recipe that includes seafood wrapped in pastry. The word itself, empanada derives from a Spanish or Portugeuse word meaning to wrap or coat in bread. They can be baked or fried and are traditionally filled with meats, cheeses, veggies and yes, even fruits for dessert.

Empanadas follow a long cultural tradition of filled breads such as Cornish pasties, calzones and of course the most recent advancement - Toastilla. With Spanish influence in the American Southwest you probably didn’t doubt that empanadas are pretty popular there and expanding throughout the country. In fact, they’ve become so popular in some areas that they’ve gotten their own names. For example, in the southwest you might hear them call fried pies. Or, in the south they’d be referred to as Creoles.

To celebrate World Empanada Day we are digging into southern roots and offering up an easy peazy recipe you can enjoy with the family. ​

Ingredients:

• Tortilla
• 1 lb. ground beef
• ½ cup diced carrots
• ½ cup diced celery
• 2 cloves diced garlic
• 1 can kidney beans (drained)
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Velvetta cheese (Yup! The yellow brick)

Recipe:
Where most Toastilla recipes only require you to pull stuff out of the refrigerator and add to the tortilla, this recipe is full of love and will need a little prep. Don’t worry, it’s simple and made for the entire family. However, if you like to speed things up these are great if you happen to have ground, diced or chopped meat left-overs from the previous night’s dinner.

In a frying pan brown the ground beef on medium heat until fully cooked. Then add carrots, celery and garlic for five minutes. Add the beans for another five minutes making sure to constantly stir to prevent burning. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. ​

After the mixture has been prepared, spoon your desired amount into the center of a tortilla and top with a slice of Velveeta cheese.

Fold and toast on one cycle and you have yourself a tasty Empanada Day Toastilla!

While these taste great on their own, you can top them with sour cream, Sriracha, dash a bit of ground cayenne or even drizzle more warm and gooey melted cheese!