Every once in a while I get a craving for a good empanada
the kind that is getting hard to find in Panama these days.
Recently, I started on a campaign to find the a recipe for the traditional Panamanian empanada, and this is what my sources came up with. I thought Id put it up here, that way no matter where you are in the world, you can enjoy a little taste of Panama. 
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pounds ground beef
5 pickled cherry peppers ( hot or mild), chopped
1 Tablespoon of the brine from the cherry pepper jar
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
1/4 cup mashed potatoes
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat a large skillet to medium high, fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they start to brown
Add the beef and pork to the onion/garlic mix. Cook until the meat is fairly well done
Drain the grease from the pan, then turn the heat to low
Stir in the cherry peppers, tomato paste, mashed potatoes and pickling brine. Mix until the all ingredients stick together.
Turn the heat off. Salt and pepper to taste, then add the cayenne in accordingly. Make sure to completely stir in the spices.
You will need about 2 double pies worth of dough to use up all the filling. Place the dough on one side of the crust, folding it back over itself before crimping it shut with a fork. Then, brush the outside with a beaten egg yolk, and bake on a greased cookie sheet in a 350° F oven for a half hour or until golden brown. Enjoy!
Real panamanian empanadas do NOT have mashed potatoes in them and if you use hot peppers at all, you would use just a small amount of habanero.
There are a number of ways to make empanadas… the Zonian way uses potatoes, at least that is what my Panamanian abuela does! If you prefer to nix the potatoes and use habaneros, that is up to you, but this Gringo prefers this recipe over all the rest.
The real Panamanian empanada crust is made with corn. I don’t know the recipe. Anything with flour is really an offspring of the West Indian Patty. This Panamanian Zonian knows the real deal. I have never seen a Panamanian empanada with potatoes. It may be good. However, not really Panamanian. Your abuela got the recipe from an extranjero friend.
Senia,
I am going to have to try your empanadas! I love my abuela’s… but we all know the loyalty of us Gringo’s can be won with some good food! Would you mind sending the recipe my way? I would be happy to put it up.
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