Victoria Amory’s Chorizo Empanadas & Cookbook Review

On a dark dreary day what could be more festive than a giant chorizo empanada?! This recipe comes from Victory Amory’s cookbook Delicious Flavors. The contest for her cookbook is now closed. Winners will be announced later on today. Good luck everyone!

I made empanadas years ago from scratch. They were a big pain in the butt! Which is why I have never made them again. They are delicious but because they are almost a baked version of perogies (see images here), individual pockets filled with deliciousness, they are extremely time consuming to make. Which is why I was intrigued that Victoria makes one giant empanada with puff pastry instead. Genius!

I divided the recipe in half because I was not personally throwing a party so the photos will look different than the recipe. 

In a saute pan over medium high heat saute 1 large onion and 2 diced garlic cloves for a few minutes. Make sure there is enough oil and the pan is not too hot, you do not want them to burn. Add 1 pound of diced chorizo sausage and cook until it releases juices and browns a little. Add 1 8 oz can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of white wine and simmer until liquid has evaporated. Add 2 tbsp of chopped fresh oregano (I used just a little dried) and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with puff pastry and add cooked chorizo to the middle. Scatter 4 thinly sliced hard boiled eggs on top. (I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper.)

If you make the complete version you top everything with a second sheet of puff pastry and seal the edges by rolling them with your fingers and making a decorative edge with the tines of your fork. Remember, I divided this recipe in half so I just folded the puff pastry over. Beat an egg with a little water and then brush the egg wash on top and make decorative slashes along the top with your knife. Bake around 30 minutes. Even when you divide this in half, it takes around 30 minutes to bake the puff pastry but keep an eye on it. Cut into 2″ squares and serve with an aioli.

I did not make Victoria’s recipe because I love my own and have been wanting to share it with you. For a small serving combine 1/3 cup of mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip), just of half a lime, 1 tbsp of honey and some chipotle. I have just discovered President’s Choice Chipotle Hot Sauce, it is absolutely incredible and perfect for this spicy chipotle dip! I just added a little and stirred it up. If you are using canned chipotle then chop up as much as you feel comfortable using with some of the adobo sauce and add it to dip with some fresh chopped parsley (or cilantro if you prefer). Stir to combine. 

Wow! Talk about flavourful!!!! Absolutely delicious, easy to make and strong. I love this recipe but there are a few issues. This is a messy tapas because it is not a completely self-contained empanada. It does fall apart so as an appetizer it is awkward to eat. Also, make sure it is just an appetizer. It is so rich and strong that it gave me a bit of a stomach ache, LOL.

This is an impressive cookbook. The photographs are fantastic, the cookbook stays open when you cook from it (so many do not and it drives me crazy), the quality of the binding and paper is impressive and the recipes that I have tried have been very good. I was surprised at how much pork is used in the book and how little beef, in fact as far as I can tell there is only one beef recipe in the whole book. The index is not great which made it challenging for me to find recipes quickly. The writing is wonderful though, it is one of the few cookbooks that I sat down with and enjoyed reading like a book.

Overall I do love this cookbook and will be trying more recipes. Despite some issues I give it four out of five wooden spoons.