Nummy Empanadas
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
While scheduling my routine teeth cleaning at Dr. Ensman’s office, Noel Nothern mentioned that he had some wonderful Argentine empanada recipes.
“You do?” I said.
“Why, yes.” he said. And Noel presented me with a trio of cookbooks he has collected.
On one trip, Noel took part in a cooking class taught by a local chef named Teresita. You can see her school’s offerings at www.try2cook.com. Noel traveled to her home on the edge of Buenos Aires, where she entertained the participants in her large family kitchen.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “And there were a lot of fun people there. Everyone in her family helps her.”
Teresita’s Web site is fabulous — take a look.
“Empanada” literally means “that which is covered with bread.” Almost every national cuisine has something like this: a calzone, pierogi, samosa, egg roll or bierrock. Although the empanada originated in Spain, the former Spanish colonies in the New World have really raised it to an art form. Noel says that in some places you can even tell what is in the empanada by the shape of the braided edge.
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