Making an empanada is a humbling experience
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My non-award winning empanada, made by hand with clumsiness and care. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez
An empanada is a deceptively simple dish. Because it turns out, folding two thin pieces of dough isn't as easy as it sounds.
Dig in: On Wednesday, I had the chance to attend an empanada making class at Maria Empanada, a Denver culinary institution since 2011.
Context: Founder Lorena Cantarovici guided us through the process, which starts with animated retelling of how Argentines like herself reinvented a Spanish dish by shrinking it significantly.
Between the lines: Whoever made the best empanada received a giftcard, plus Cantarovici's warm praise.
How it works: We were tasked with making an Italian empanada, one of its newest menu items.
- Ingredients included pork sausage, mozzarella, tomato sauce and onion, all of which were placed near the doughy center. Then the folding process started. The goal was a half-moon shape.
Once that's done, the real test began.
- Turning the edges into repulgues — the patterns on the empanada's curved side — separated the chefs from people like me, who despite intense focus and what I thought was sufficient water, failed to make anything resembling a folding pattern.
What's worse, I committed a faux pas that required mild public humiliation: I left a tiny hole in the dough, exposing the gooey goodness inside after baking.
The bottom line: I did not win for having the prettiest empanada. Tough.
- But the taste? I'd say I definitely came out on top.
What's next: Reservations for the next class Dec. 10 are available online.