P
American
Empanadas: New Mexican Stuffed Pastry
New Mexican empanadas — small, hand-formed pastries filled with sweetened mincemeat (bizcochacito — a cooked mixture of beef, raisins, piñon nuts, cinnamon, and sugar) and deep-fried or baked — are the descendant of the Spanish Colonial empanadita tradition. They are made for Christmas, for All Souls' Day, and for celebrations. Their dough is enriched with lard; their filling balances meat and sweetness in a proportion that seems unlikely to the unfamiliar palate but is deeply rooted in the Spanish Medieval tradition of sweet-and-savoury combinations.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the lard dough
500 g
plain flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
175 g
lard
cold
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
sugar
Your own market
1 tsp
salt
Your own market
120 ml
cold water
added gradually
Your own market
For the bizcochacito filling
450 g
beef or pork
ground or very finely minced
Your own market
120 g
raisins
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 g
piñon nuts
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
120 g
piloncillo or dark brown sugar
grated if piloncillo
Your own market
1 tsp
ground cinnamon
Your own market
1 tsp
ground cloves
Your own market
For frying and finishing
1 litre
lard or neutral oil
for deep-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 g
powdered sugar
for dusting immediately after frying
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Rub the cold lard into the dry ingredients with the fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the cold water a little at a time, mixing only until the dough just comes together. The dough is ready when it holds its shape when pressed but remains short and crumbly to the touch, not smooth or elastic.
2
Wrap the dough and rest it while the filling is prepared. In a heavy pan over medium heat, cook the ground or finely minced meat, breaking it apart, until no pink remains. Add the raisins, piñon nuts, piloncillo or brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir and cook until the sugar has dissolved fully into the meat and the mixture coheres as a moist, fragrant, sweet-savoury mass. Taste: the sweetness must be substantial — this is a medieval Spanish sweet meat preparation, not a savoury filling with a hint of spice. Remove from heat and cool completely before filling the pastry.
3
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to approximately 3 mm thickness. Cut into rounds of roughly 10–12 cm diameter. Place a spoonful of the cooled bizcochacito filling at the centre of each round, leaving a clear border. Fold the circle over to form a half-moon. Press the edges firmly together with the fingers, then crimp the full seam with the tines of a fork. This is where the dish lives or dies: a seal that fails in the hot oil will release the filling, collapse the pastry, and ruin the batch — press and crimp with deliberate, even pressure so no gap remains along the entire seam.
4
Heat the lard or oil in a deep, heavy pot to 175°C. Fry the empanadas in small batches, turning once, until the pastry is golden on both sides and the surface shows the characteristic short, slightly blistered texture of a lard crust. Do not crowd the pot: the temperature must not drop or the pastry will absorb fat rather than crisp.
5
Lift the empanadas from the oil and drain briefly. Immediately — while still hot — dust generously with powdered sugar. The sugar must be applied at once; on a cool surface it will not adhere in the same way.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Freshly rendered home lard, hand-ground piloncillo, and locally gathered piñon nuts yield the richest dough and the most complex, resinous filling.
02
Estate — Good-quality rendered lard from a butcher, cone piloncillo broken and grated to order, and whole piñon nuts toasted briefly before use.
03
Market — Commercial block lard, dark brown sugar in place of piloncillo, and packaged piñon nuts — honest results that honour the tradition.
04
House — Vegetable shortening in the dough, granulated brown sugar, and pine nuts substituted for piñon: the pastry loses its characteristic short crumble and the filling its depth, but the form is preserved.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The dough holds its shape when pressed but breaks apart at the edges rather than stretching — lard, not gluten, is doing the work.
◇Smell. The filling smells of warm spice and caramelised sugar with the savoury note of cooked meat underneath — the sweet note should be dominant.
◇Sight. The crimped seam shows no gaps or splits before or after frying; the finished surface is a pale gold with the blistered, matte texture of a lard crust.
◇Sound. A steady, moderate sizzle as each empanada enters the oil confirms the fat is at temperature; a sluggish bubble or silence indicates the oil is too cool.
◇Where it lives or dies. The fork-crimped seal must hold without a single gap; any breach in the seam releases the filling into the hot oil and loses the pastry.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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