Ham and Cheese Empanadas
A creamy ham, mozzarella and semi-hard cheese filling bound with egg, baked until golden with a juicy center. Quick to put together with store-bought dough rounds.
- 125 g (4.4 oz) cooked ham, in small cubes
- 125 g (4.4 oz) mozzarella cheese, in small cubes
- 75 g (2.6 oz) semi-hard cheese (a mild cheddar or Muenster work well), in small cubes
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- A pinch of nutmeg (optional, but recommended)
- 8 empanada dough rounds (store-bought)
- 1 extra egg, beaten, for the egg wash
- Butter, just a little, to grease the tray
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1
Prep the filling
Cut the ham, mozzarella and semi-hard cheese into small cubes, all roughly the same size, so every bite has a bit of each.
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2
Bind with egg
In a bowl, beat the 2 eggs with a fork, no need to whip in air, and add the flour, a pinch of salt (go easy: the ham and cheese are already salty) and freshly ground black pepper. Add the ham and cheese cubes along with the nutmeg, and mix until everything's combined.
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3
Fill and seal
Put a heaping spoonful of filling in the center of each dough round. Wet the edge with a little water, close it and pleat the seam, pressing firmly as you go so no air gets trapped: that's what gives you a neat, big-ravioli-like shape, and keeps them from popping open in the oven.
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4
Prep the tray
Grease the tray with a very thin layer of butter and wipe off the excess with a paper towel: that thin layer is what keeps them from sticking, tearing when you lift them, and coming out pale on the bottom instead of golden. Arrange the empanadas with a little space between them.
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5
Poke and brush
Poke the center of each empanada with a toothpick: that's what lets the steam from the filling escape while it bakes, so they don't crack or burst open. Brush them with the extra beaten egg so they come out golden and shiny.
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6
Bake
Hot oven, 210°C (410°F), with the tray preheated if you can manage it. Bake for 12 minutes, until evenly golden. Let them rest 2 minutes before eating: the filling is scalding hot straight out of the oven.
- Cut the cheese and ham cubes the same small size, under 1 cm (⅓ inch): that way the filling seals cleanly without lumps that tear the dough.
- A touch of nutmeg is the classic secret in any ham, cheese and egg filling: you won't taste it as a spice, it just rounds out the flavor.
- If the filling looks too loose before assembling, chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes: the egg firms up and it gets much easier to handle.
- Poking the center isn't optional: without it, the steam from the melting cheese can burst the seal open.
- Over-salting the filling (the ham and semi-hard cheese are already salty)
- Overfilling the dough round, which keeps the seal from closing properly
- Skipping the center poke
- Baking in a lukewarm oven instead of a hot one: without that blast of heat, they won't brown in time