Episode X: Chile

Christina construction the dough

The second TCGC stop in the western hemisphere was Chile.  As we quickly discovered, there are no Chilean restaurants in the Twin Cities, so we decided to cook!  After some online research (and some suggestions via social networking) we decided to make empanada de mariscos, or seafood empanadas.

Stirring up the seafood, onions and chili sauce

In order to make empanadas we first had to construct some dough.  The recipe we found called for some chopped onions mixed with chili sauce and a seafood conglomeration of shrimp, scallops and tilapia.  The recipe called for 1 and 1/2 cups of the seafood mix, of which we ended up making way, way more.  That was a good mistake.

The filling nearing completion

After the dough was created and the seafood was chopped, we mixed it with the onions and some chili sauce and fried it up on the stove.  After everything was thoroughly cooked we decided the dough was too thick to work, so Christina quickly whipped up a new batch.

Filling the dough

We spread out the dough and cut it into thin strips and then squares that were roughly 3 x 3 inches.  We took a spoonful of the seafood, onions and chili sauce and place it in the middle of the dough, wet the edges with a paper towel, then folded it over the meat and sealed it shut.

The finished product

Once we had enough to fill a pan, we fried the seafood and dough in vegetable oil until it was golden brown, then took them out to cool on some paper towels.  After ten minutes or so, they were ready to eat!  We dipped the empanadas in more chili sauce which gave them the added sauce and spice needed to make them extra delicious.  The whole process took about two hours, but in the end they were worth the wait and the work.

Chilean empanadas brought happiness to our St. Paul/Minneapolis.