Black Bean and Plantain Empanadas with Salsa

Ingredients

Dough (or you can buy the pre-prepared empanada rounds in the freezer section of your market)

• 2-1/2
  
  cups whole wheat pastry flour
  
• 1-1/2
  
  teaspoons salt
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon tumeric
  
• 6
  
  tablespoons olive oil (get it cold by putting it in a glass cup or jar and placing in the freezer for a 1/2 hr)
  
• 3/4
  
  cup ice cold water
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon white vinegar
  

Black Bean and Plantain Filling

• 2
  
  tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1
  
  red or yellow onion, finely chopped
  
• 1-15
  
  ounces can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1
  
  red pepper, finely chopped
  
• 1
  
  chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  
• 2
  
  garlic cloves, grated
  
• 2
  
  ripe plantains, peeled and diced
  
• 1-1/2
  
  teaspoons cumin
  
• 1/4
  
  teaspoon coriander
  
• 2
  
  teaspoons adobo sauce, from the can of chipotles
  
• 1
  
  handful cilantro, finely chopped
  
• 
  
  SALSA RECIPE
  
• 1-28
  
  ounces can best quality San Marzano tomatoes (or 1-1/2 lb ripe fresh tomateos)
  
• 1
  
  large onion, quartered
  
• 1
  
  chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (if you like it hotter) or 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
  
• 3
  
  garlic cloves
  
• 2
  
  limes, juiced
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon salt, adjust for your taste
  
• 
  
  grindings of black pepper
  

Directions

Dough (or you can buy the pre-prepared empanada rounds in the freezer section of your market)

1. Sift the flour, salt, and tumeric in a bowl and dump into the food processor. Add the olive oil by tblsp. into the food processor until mixture looks like a course sand. Add the vinegar to the ice water and add to the mixture and process until a pliable dough forms. You may need a bit more or less of the water as making dough is an inexact science! Gather dough up in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Black Bean and Plantain Filling

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Saute onion for about 5 min until soft. Add peppers and garlic and cook till further softened. Add the beans, plantains, and the rest of the ingredients (except for cilantro). Drop heat down to medium and cook until spices fragrant (about 8-10 min.). Lastly, stir in cilantro and get ready to stuff.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F

   Take your dough out the the fridge and unwrap it. Place it on a floured workspace (I used my largest cutting board) and divide into 12 balls. Roll out each ball on floured board to approximately 6-7 inches (I used an empty wine bottle in lieu of a rolling pin which I lack). Fill with 2 tblsp. filling and brush edges of dough with H2O. Put into empanada mold, fold over, and press down. Remove excess dough and remove empanada from mold. Put finished empanadas on a cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Alternatively, fold the dough circle to close (after brushing edges with H2O) and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Chill the finished empanadas for 10 minutes (to firm up the dough for baking). Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Cool down for approximately 3 minutes and serve with salsa.

3. Put all ingredients into the food processor or blender and process till combined. Add the reserved tomato juice if too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste (I add a 1/2 tsp. of salt at a time).