Easy Pulled Pork Empanadas

My forever-muse, Ina Garten, has a wonderful recipe for Ham, Leek, and Gruyere empanadas that inspired this recipe. Using puff pastry makes the preparation of these empanadas incredibly easy and creates the most buttery, flaky crust. Barbecue pulled pork and caramelized onions are the perfect, savory-sweet compliment to the simple smoky dip. This hearty, crowd pleasing appetizer comes together in about 30 minutes and can easily made ahead.

Serves 8.

·      2 tablespoons butter

·      ½ yellow onion—diced

·      ½ cup barbecue sauce

·      1-pound cooked pulled pork—roughly chopped

·      ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese

·      1 egg white

·      2 teaspoons kosher salt

·      1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

·      2 sheets frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge farm—defrosted  

·      ½ cup sour cream

·      3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1.     Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.     In a medium (10") sauté pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and caramelized, about 8 minutes. Stir in barbecue sauce and ¼ cup water Simmer 3 minutes, then remove from heat.

3.     In a medium bowl, mix pulled pork and pepper jack cheese. Add cooled onion mixture, salt, and black pepper. Mix and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and 2 tablespoons water.

4.     Sprinkle a cutting board with flour, roll out 1 sheet of the puff pastry to an 12" x 9" rectangle, and cut into 6 equal rectangles. Brush edges of each piece with egg wash. Place ¼ cup of the pulled pork filling in the center of each rectangle. Fold each rectangle in half, lining up edges of the pastry. Press the edges of the empanada with the tines of a fork to seal.

5.     Place empanadas on prepared sheet pans and brush each with egg wash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

6.     Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

7.     While the empanadas cool, combine the sour cream and taco seasoning in a small bowl to create a dipping sauce. Serve warm with dipping sauce.