Beef Empanadas + Black Bean Soup

EMPANADAS ***EDIT: new and improved! Try my empanadas TAKE TWO. Much tastier… 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• 1/2 small potato, diced finely
• 1 tiny can tomato sauce
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 cup golden raisins soaked in ~1/4 cup white wine
• 1 pinch clove
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 package of frozen empanada dough (I used Goya, flakey crust for the oven/horno)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat a bit of beef broth (or water) in a small sauce pan and add minced potatoes. Cover and let potatoes cook until just soft.
2. Heat some oil in a large nonstick pan and cook beef, breaking up pieces as you go. Salt and remove into a separate bowl when beef almost but not quite cooked through.
3. In remaining oil, saute onion until soft. Add potatoes and mix. Add half the seasonings. If mixture is too dry, add some of the juice from the meat.
4. Reintroduce beef into mixture. Add tomato sauce/paste and mix. Then add raisins and wine it was soaking in, as well as the rest of the seasonings.
5. Let meat mixture reduce until all liquids absorbed. Salt to taste. Remove and set aside to cool.
6. Preheat oven to 350F
7. Spoon meat into center of each round, fold and crimp, apply egg wash.
8. Bake ~20 min or until golden brown.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

• 2 (15oz) cans of black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced finely
• 1 small rib of celery, diced finely
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp chili powder (Mexene brand)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 pieces of bacon, diced
• 1 cup chicken stock/beef stock
• 1 cup greek yogurt + lime juice or sour cream for serving
• optional: cilantro or parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Saute bacon to render the fat. Remove bacon pieces and set aside.
2. Saute onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic in remaining bacon fat (mmm..bacon fat..). Season with cumin and chili powder.
3. Add black beans, drained but not rinsed, along with chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium low heat.
4. Using a hand blender or a food processor, puree some of the black beans (1-2 cups) until smooth. Add back into soup.
5. Add bacon and corn. Cover and simmer 30 min to let flavors distribute.
6. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt mixed with lime juice (substitute for sour cream)!
7. optional: I also added a pinch of parsley before serving. I hate cilantro but the dish needed some green…

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