Empanadas: A Voyage from Venezuela to Turkey
A fusion of cultures into one delicious pocket — cornmeal dough with a Sephardic-inspired spinach and feta filling.
There is something truly enchanting about intertwining cultures and flavours to create a dish that transcends boundaries. The following recipe is a testament to culinary creativity and a homage to the fusion of diverse worlds — Venezuelan cornmeal dough (the same masa used for arepas) enclosing a Sephardic-inflected filling of spinach and feta, spiced with cumin, coriander, and turmeric.
The empanada exists in some form across Latin America, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. This version is neither fully one thing nor the other, which is exactly the point. Serve with chimichurri, hot sauce, or simply as they are — golden pockets of joy.
- 1½ cupsfresh spinachwashed and finely chopped
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- 1 tspcoriander seeds
- 2 tbspextra virgin olive oilfor the filling
- 1small white onionfinely chopped
- 1garlic cloveminced
- ½ tspsmoked sweet paprika
- ½ tspground turmeric
- 120 gfeta cheesecrumbled — block is best
- 600 mlwaterfor the dough
- ½ tspkosher saltfor the dough
- 1 tspsugarfor the dough
- 280 gpre-cooked white maize meal (Harina P.A.N.)
- 1 tbspall-purpose flour
- —vegetable oilfor frying
As featured on
Aish ↗Wash and thoroughly dry the spinach; chop finely and set aside.
Using a pestle and mortar, coarsely grind the cumin and coriander seeds. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet and fry the ground seeds for 2–3 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic, paprika, and turmeric; fry for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted. Cool completely, then fold in the crumbled feta.
Make the dough: combine the water, salt, sugar, maize meal, and flour in a bowl. Mix with your hands, breaking any lumps. Rest for a few minutes — the dough should be firm but malleable. Add more maize, flour, or water as needed to adjust.
Divide into 8 balls. Flatten each between two sheets of cling film or plastic into a circle about 20 cm (8 in) across. Dip your fingertips in olive oil and press gently into the surface.
Place about 1½ tablespoons of filling in the centre of each circle. Using the plastic as support, fold the dough over the filling into a semicircle. Trim or shape the edges into a clean half-moon. Press firmly to seal.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet to 180°C (350°F). Fry the empanadas in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden brown. Transfer to a paper-lined baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven. Serve hot.
This pre-cooked Venezuelan maize meal is what gives the dough its distinctive mild sweetness and slightly grainy texture. Find it in Latin American shops, some supermarkets, or online.
An imperfectly sealed empanada will open in the oil and release its filling. Press every join firmly and check before frying — patience here saves frustration.
Brush the empanadas with olive oil and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes. They will be less deeply golden but still delicious and lighter.