Pastelillos (Dominican empanadas) – Sadhna Lindvall Interview. Pastelillos (Dominican empanadas) are made with a puff pastry-style wrapper and can have either savory or sweet fillings. Some are fried while others are baked. This is the second in a series of interview/cooking segments featuring Community Leaders in Milwaukee, WI. You can watch the Interview/Cooking segment on YouTube by clicking on the link below.
The first Interview/Cooking Segment with Milwaukee Community Leaders, with Wendy Baumann, President of WWBIC can be viewed at https://youtu.be/wGn3YclrPds. The recipe for her Tuna Bien Mesabe can be found here.
I am joined by Sadhna Lindvall, who is the President of the Shorewood Foundation in Shorewood, WI. She is also a volunteer member of the Shorewood Human Relations Commission (HRC) and Education Sub-Committee.
The video is a short interview with Sadhna about her work at the Shorewood Foundation and HRC and then we will cook something.
The idea for this interview/cooking segment comes from the HBOMax TV Show Selena+Chef (https://www.hbomax.com/selenarecipes), where Selena Gomez learns to cook, from world-renowned chefs, like Jose Andres, Marcus Samuelson, and Rachel Ray. Toward the end of each show, they talk about the Chef’s foundation, charity, or non-profit.
My idea is slightly different. I will be interviewing community leaders here in Milwaukee, discussing their roles in being a difference maker, and then we will cook something (their choice). Sadhna is our second guest. She will be the chef and I will be her sous chef. She will be making Pastelillos, which are Dominican Empanadas.
What is the difference between Pastelillos and Dominican Empanadas?
Pastelillos are generally smaller and use a thinner or lighter dough that you crimp around the edges before frying. Empanadas use a heavier or thicker dough, have rolled edges, and you bake or fry them.
Puerto Rican Empanadas, sometimes known as Empanadillas or Pastelillos are turnovers filled with beef, chicken, cheese, or even pizza toppings. These crispy empanadas are fried or oven baked.
What’s the difference between Dominican Pastelillos and Empanaditas?
The difference between empanaditas and Pastelillos is cosmetic, but –as with many other things– Dominicans do not seem to agree on one answer, but I do know:
Dominican Pastelillos are round, while Dominican Empanadas have a half-moon-shape.
Equipment
- No Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 jalapenos or Serrano peppers diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Soy sauce to taste and sodium
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp cooking oil not olive oil
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 package wonton wraps
Instructions
- Season ground beef with cumin, salt, and pepper and set aside to marinate.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil, sauté the onions, Roma tomatoes, jalapenos & garlic (creating a sofrito).
- Add salt and pepper to these vegetables as they cook.
- Cook until soft (about 5-6 min on medium heat)
- Once soft, set aside.
- Drain the liquid from the sofrito.
- Next, cook the seasoned ground beef in 1 tbs of oil. Make sure to break the meet-up as it cooks.
- Once the meat has browned, drain off some of the excess oil (but not all)
- Add the sofrito to the meat then continue cooking.
- Once the meat is cooked add soy sauce (1/2 tsp at a time) to taste.
- Once the meat has cooked let cool at room temp
- If you try to fill the wontons with hot ground beef they will fall apart.
- As you fill the wontons with the cooled meat, add a few raisins (optional).
- Seal the wontons with water (dip your finger in water, rub all four sides of the wonton, fold over and press.
- Indent with a fork to seal them shut.
- Then pan fry in 1 Cup canola Oil until the pastellilos until golden, about 30 seconds a side
Video
Nutrition
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If you like this recipe for Dominican Empanadas (Pastelillos), try our recipe for How to Make Empanadas
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Watch our other interview/cooking segments with Milwaukee Community Leaders