If you've never had a Colombian empanadas, they're unlike anything else! They're made of crunchy cornmeal dough, filled with a creamy, aromatic beef and potato filling, spiced with Latin seasonings.
I've never met an empanada I didn't like. For me, Colombian empanadas are the pinnacle of Colombian food. I've been eating this since I was a kid, and before I even knew they were Colombian! If you've never had a Colombian empanadas, they're unlike anything else. A crunchy cornmeal dough, filled with a creamy, aromatic beef and potato filling, spiced with cumin and Sazon
In my never-ending attempt to recycle leftovers, I made these with leftovers from my Ropa Vieja recipe. In my research for this recipe, I realized that my Ropa Vieja recipe uses many of the same ingredients you'd use to stew some beef or pork for this recipe. So why not use it? It was a smashing success!
Colombian empanadas are a perfect appetizer for any get together. I love making miniature versions of these when I'm hosting game night or throwing a cocktail party, because they're a fantastic one handed food (you know, food you can eat with one hand while drinking a beer with the other!) Because these take some effort, I always make extra and freeze them for later! You can cook them straight from the freezer, no defrosting required!
To fry them, heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan at 375 degrees, until they're super crunchy and golden brown on both sides. If you want to reheat empanadas that already been cooked, the air fryer is the perfect way to do that! I wouldn't airfry these from the raw state though, because the dough is soft and will stick to the grates.