So trying to figure out what foods I would use to identify myself is pretty hard, but “you are what you eat” I guess would be a helpful starting point. Initially I wanted to write about rice but rice has so many various forms and I appreciate so many of them. I thought maybe I should start with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) but I decided on something else instead: Empanadas.

Now I use this term just because it’s easier for me to say but as I learned from my last trip from to Puerto Rico, empanada is sometimes used to refer to a breaded and fried form of something, like chicken cutlet. Other terms that are used include: empanadilla, pastelito, pastelillos. Depending on the shape and size, they may resemble something to that of a pot sticker. There are a few things that I like about this dish: 1) just how easy it is to eat multiple in one sitting, they’re just so good its honestly hard to stop myself (which isn’t good for my long term health), 2) how much variety there can be with them; there’s the traditional fillings of beef, chicken, and cheese but then there are unique ones like guava and cheese and, my personal favorite, pizza filling. Empanadas de pizza are a sort of lunch-time, street food that I have yet to see outside of Puerto Rico. When I first tried one of these (this would be pre-2008 probably) I could disseminate between between the cheese and the sauce. Now, I’ve noticed that street vendors have begun to homogenize the product and the filling now resemble something of a hot, gooey, creamy substance (still good in my opinion).

Photo Cred

I mentioned that that there’s a variety of empanada possibilities and that doesn’t just refer to the filling, it also refers to the ingredients and ways of production as well. For example, some people may use mozzarella cheese or, and I am vehemently against this ingredient, American cheese, but my mother insists on using queso de freir when she makes hers. Another way of putting your personal stamp on the dish is how you seal it. Most people at home would probably use a fork to seal off the edges, while others, and I this is more reserved for larger, more commercialized forms of the dish, may use a technique that makes the edge looks like it was twisted like a pretzel. I think one of the best performers of being creative with this dish can be found here in Queens, with locations all over the place, Mama’s Empanadas

As you can see, they have tons of different styles, that cater to people who prefer simpler, more tame and traditional styles of this dish and others who like be a little bit more adventurous. On my last visit to one of their locations, I tried the queso on a corn based patty because I personally love corn meal based foods and because I deemed  as a non-traditional way of preparing one of these bundles of deliciousness. 10/10 would order again!

I wanna close off with a small shout out to my Titi Margie. Last time I was in PR she decided to drive up to my uncle’s house in Aguadilla and she had a pseudo cook-off with my aunt Eileen. They both made made empanadas; Eileen filled her’s with cheese and I think chicken or beef and Margie filled her’s with chicken and cabbage, which really though us all for a loop because I’ve never seen cabbage used in any of Puerto Rican food. It was honestly just really nice to sit down con mis primos and enjoy the cooking. I got to watch Titi Margie fill the patties and fold them and then hand them off to me to run them to the fryer in my uncle Victor’s house. I think it was the first time in a long time that my family got together in Puerto Rico and just centered ourselves around food.

Additionally, here are some videos I thought that might help add some depth in knowledge that you might’ve gained from this post today. Here’s one from the very trendy “Mitú”.

And another from a women on Youtube making her own at home. I like how many different iterations you can find on Youtube, each presenter having their own way of cooking any Puerto Rican cuisine and their way of interacting with the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jdBW0u_VWc