Empanada Lesson

One of the primary goals of the El Salvador Rally is to showcase the Salvadoran culture. There are tours of the area, demonstrations of local fishing techniques, and cooking lessons. Yesterday afternoon we got to make empanadas.

 

I thought they would be savory, but these were sweet empanadas. The batter is made from plantains that are cooked and then mashed with sugar, vanilla, and a little flour.

 

After greasing your hands, you put some batter into your palm and form a well. Then you add a spoonful of the "crema" filling which is a cooked mixture of milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and rice flour.

 

Now using a rolling motion, you gradually close the batter up around the filling. It should look sort of like a football. After deep frying and sprinkling with sugar, the empanadas are ready to eat. Although the chef called them a snack, they seem more like a dessert to me. Either way, we all enjoyed making and eating them.