Empanadas Fritas de Queso Chilean-Style Fried Cheese Empanadas

Empanadas Fritas de Queso: Chilean-Style Fried Cheese Empanadas

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard, softened

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

16 ounces whole milk mozzarella, or other meltable cheese

Vegetable oil for frying

How to Make It

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar in a large bowl.

Gently mix the vegetable shortening into the flour.

Place the milk and water in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Stir the hot liquid into the four mixture. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if mixture seems too dry and crumbly, or add more flour if the mixture is too wet and sticky.

Knead dough gently until well mixed and homogenous. Divide dough into 16 portions, and roll each piece into a ball. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

Grate or finely chop cheese.

Roll each ball of dough into a 6- to 7-inch circle. Place 1 ounce of cheese in the center of each dough circle.

Fold dough in half over the cheese to form a semicircle. Press down firmly along edges to seal. Roll edge inward over itself and press down again to seal. Crimp edge decoratively with a fork, pressing to seal.

Heat several inches of vegetable oil to 350F in a deep sided skillet, pot or deep-fat fryer. Fry empanadas in batches, turning at least once, until golden brown. Drain empanadas on paper towels.

Empanadas can be kept warm in a 200F oven for up to 1 hour before serving. Serve warm.

Source: https://www.thespruce.com/chilean-style-fried-cheese-empanadas-3029729