As kids, the task of sorting and cleaning the the beans (remove any debris,)always fell to us. Several rinses and swirls in water served to wash the beans, which were then soaked in enough water to cover. Soak overnight (about 8 hours). This step shortens the cooking process for the next day. The next day, or whenever, discard the soaking water and start with enough cold fresh water to cover the beans in the pot at least 1 to 2 inches. Bring beans to a boil. Boil about 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Add the your flavorings, (onion, garlic, cumin, fat) and cover. Add water as needed to the pot. Do not try to speed up the process by increasing the heat and cooking for a shorter time, this will result in hard beans with less flavor. A Slow heat for a longer time will produce the best flavor and texture. Cooking times will vary depending on temp, altitude and vessel used. Times could range from 1 1/2 hours to 6 hours or more. Mama preferred to start the beans in the morning and let them go almost all day long. By the time we got home from school they were absolutely "delisiosos". We always looked forward to the welcoming smell of that "olla de frijoles" . As kids we sometimes added a little butter to our bowls. As we got older we would add freshly diced onion, cilantro and tomatoes. There was always a molcajete of salsa cruda, fresh tortillas and at the least rice to go with the beans.
Remember, never add the salt until the beans are fully cooked and have reached the proper texture, which is soft. Adding the salt prior to this also results in hard beans. These beans were served as is (whole), partially mashed with some whole, or completely mashed and served as a creamy soup. The following day (if we were fortunate enough to have leftovers) they might grace our table reincarnated as refried beans. Because mama was so clever in serving them in so many creative ways we never tired of them and to this day we are still quite the "frijoleros".
Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until the size of small peas. Add water slowly and knead dough quickly until it holds together. Divide dough into 12 balls. Using a rolling pin flatten each ball on waxed paper to keep dough sticking. Roll to a six-inch wide circle. Add filling to half of the pastry. Moisten the edges with cold water. Fold over to cover. Press edges to seal with fork. Brush pastry with egg-and-water mixture. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a rack to tool.
....Note: Granulated sugar may be sprinkled on empanadas before or after baking.
click here for an
Empanada de Camote con Pina Recipe
or click here for a recipe for Empanadas de Fruta
or you can go here for
a Capirotada recipe (in Spanish)
or you can go here for
a Capirotada recipe (in English)
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Mexico Home Page - WorldGenWeb Projectfor additional flavor one of the following
smoked pigs foot,
1-2 slices of bacon
1-2 tablespoons of lard, bacon grease, or olive oil
(more if you're not concerned about the fat)
In a two-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool while preparing pastry.
Pastry
Glaze
Mix together:
The above recipe was taken from MEXICAN Desserts and Drinks by Socorro Munos Kimble and Irma Serrano Noriega.
In a skillet (I use my big cast iron skillet), brown/toast the flour until it is a pale brown. Take care not to burn it. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl place about 1 Tbs. of sugar with the yeast. Add the 2 cups of the warm water to dissolve and set aside for about 15 minutes. Now take about 1/2 of the flour (about 3 cups) and mix into the yeast mixture. Cover the bowl with a large towel and set aside for a couple of hours intil it reaches a spongelike consistancy.
When the sponge is ready, in a medium bowl, cream the remainder of the sugar with the shortening and add the eggs. Add this to the sponge mixture and mix well.
Now, in a separate large bowl, combine or sift the remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, anise seed and cinnamon) together.
Slowly start adding the remaining sifted or combined dry ingredients and add only enough of the flour mixture to form a ball. If you need to add additional flour 1 tsp. at a time. How much flour is needed will depend on the humidity, or lack of it. Knead dough on a flourerd surface until smooth and elastic. Oil your hands and then with the oil that is on your hands coat the ball of dough (to keep it from sticking) and place in a large bowl to rise. Make sure you cover the bowl with a towel. Allow to rise for about 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch dough down to release all the bubbles and and allow to rest for about 20 minutes before shaping into 2 loaves. I make them into medium size ovals that are kind of flatish. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheets (I use the insulated ones). Brush tops of loaves with melted butter and cover with waxed paper and allow to rise in a warm and draft free spot until double in bulk. Bake at about 425 degrees fo about 10 minutes then lower temp to about 325 and bake about 35 to 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them as this recipe was adapted from other bread recipes but for an elevation of 5600 ft. above sea level.
Enjoy.
