Empanadas de frijoles negros y queso (Black Bean and Cheese Empanadas)
Empanadas de frijoles negros y queso (Black Bean and Cheese Empanadas) is a traditional Mexican recipe for a classic fried maize flour empanada with a vegetarian refried black bean and cheese filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mexican version of: Black Bean and Cheese Empanadas (Empanadas de frijoles negros y queso).
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This is a vegetarian version of the classic and traditional Mexican maize flour dough empanada that’s fried to cook. The dough here is more complex and flavourful that the simpler masa harina empanadas made with a very basic maize dough.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
650g refried beans (made with black beans or pinto beans)
225g Oaxaca cheese
For the Maize Dough:
290g masa harina (fine maize flour)
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking powder
240g roma (plum) tomatoes
3 whole dried chiles de arbol, de-seeded and with stem removed
360g water (adjust as needed)
360ml vegetable oil, for frying
Method:
Char the tomatoes over an open flame or on a hot comal or frying pan, turning them to evenly blacken all over. Do the same for the de-seeded chillies. Transfer the tomatoes and the chillies to a blender, add a little water and process until smooth (you can strain this mixture if desired).
Combine the masa harina (fine maize flour), salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Pour in the blended tomato and chilli mixture and begin mixing into the flour. Start adding wate to the dough until you have a smooth pastry that doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Set in a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. After this time divide the dough into 10 even-sized pieces and shape these into balls.
Line your tortilla press with two pieces of plastic (cut from a freezer bag) or baking parchment. Place one masa ball in the centre of the tortilla press and press down to flatten the dough into a disk. Alter-natively roll out on a lightly-floured work surface to form a disk about 3mm thick.
Take the masa disk and place one heaped tablespoon of the refried black beans into the centre, then add some strands of the cheese. Bring the two ends of the disk together to form a half-moon and pinch the edges to seal. Set aside and repeat the whole process until all of the dough has been used.
Line a large plate with a few paper towels and set it aside.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 185°C. Once the oil reaches temperature add a few empanadas (don’t over-crowd the pan) until the pastries are golden brown and slightly crispy around the edges (don’t forget to flip them half way through).
Once cooked, remove from the hot oil and allow to drain off any excess oil on the paper towel lined plate.
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