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Hispanic Heritage Month Recipe

Mostafa Fouad



In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve decided to teach you how to cook some traditional Hispanic cuisine.


Our first dish is the Empanada. An Empanada is a fried or baked dough folded over a filling, usually consisting of meat and cheese. Because of its simple n

ature, there is no one way to make an empanada, so feel free to experiment and make something you like. Play around with different kinds of meat and cheese. There are also many vegan options. For this recipe, we will be making Fried Cheese Empanadas.


To make Fried Cheese Empanadas, you’ll need 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening or softened lard, ¾ cup of milk, ½ cup of water, 16 oz of meltable cheese, and 2 to 3 cups of vegetable oil. These will create 16 empanadas.

First, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a large bowl. Then, gently mix the vegetable shortening into the flour. Meanwhile, mix the milk and water in a saucepan and heat them until they are nearly boiling. After it reaches the right temperature, stir it into the flour mix. If the mixture looks too dry and crumbly, add water; if it is too wet and sticky, add flour.

Gently knead your dough until it is well mixed and consistent. Divide your dough into 16 pieces and roll the pieces into balls and let them rest for 5 minutes. While you wait, grate your cheese. When the balls are done resting, roll them each into 6-7 inch circles and place 1 oz of gra


ted cheese in the center of each circle. Fold the dough over the cheese and press down along the edges to seal it. Roll the edge over itself and reseal it. Now the empanadas are ready to fry.

Heat a few inches of vegetable oil in a deep-sided skillet, pot, or deep-fat fryer to 350F. Fry the empanadas in batches of 2 or 3 until they become golden brown. Make sure to turn the empanadas over every so often. Once they’re done frying, drain the empanadas on paper towels.

If you prefer to bake your empanadas, preheat your oven to 400 F and place the empanadas on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown. Now your empanadas are ready to eat! Enjoy!



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