Recipe - Plaintain Empanadas

1 small Poblano peppers; peeled and
seeded
One fourth teaspoon Pepper; ground black
1 cup Cold refried black beans;
canned
3 Plantain ripe; unpeeled
1 Banana ripe; peeled
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Scallion; cut or sliced up thin
One fourth cup Peanut oil
1 cup Crema recipe follows
One fourth cup Anejo, Romano or Feta
Cheese; grated
One fourth cup Manchego or Feta cheese;
grated
Creme Fraiche or sour cream
; garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F Cut a lenghthwise slit in each plaintain and set
it on a baking sheet. Bake until the flesh is thoroughly soft and oozing
through the slit, 40 to 50 minutes, set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing: Finely dice the poblano chile. Combine with
beans, scallions, cheeses, and pepper in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
The stuffing can be made up to a day in advance and reserved in the
refrigerator.

Make the dough in a food processor or in a mixer with a paddle attachment:
Peel, trim and discard any tough ends from the plantains. Combine the
plantains, banana and salt and pulse until a smooth puree is formed, or mix
until just blended. Be careful not to overwork the dough, or it will become
too starchy. Wrap in plastic and chill about 2 hours.

To assemble the empanadas, roll 2 tablespoons of the dough lightly between
your palms to form a ball. Line the bottom of a tortilla press with a small
plastic bag and place the ball of dough in the center. Place another small
bag over the dough and press to form a 3 One half inch circle. (If you do not
have a tortilla press, the dough can be flattened with the palm of your
hand on a counter, with a sheet of plastic above and below to prevent
sticking.) Place about 1 teaspoon of the bean stuffing on half of the dough
circle and fold over to enclose, pressing the edges to seal. Place the
stuffed empanadas on a platter and chill at least 30 minutes or as long as
a day. (Stuffed empanadas can also be frozen.)

To cook the empanadas, heat the peanut oil in a medium skillet over
mediumhigh heat. Fry 4 to 6 empanadas, at a time, shaking the pan
constantly, about 1 minute per side or until dark brown all over. If they
darken too quickly, as they may if very ripe plantains were used,. lower
the flame slightly.) Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with Crema, Creme
Fraiche or sour cream for dipping.
Recipe By : Too Hot Tameles/tpogue@idsonline.com

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #241

Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 21:48:54 465800

From: Terry Pogue tpogue@ids2.online.com