Making Memories with Guava

I checked the weather for the week and saw rain, rain, rain, snow. Instant sadness. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the first untouched snow on the ground and watching every holiday movie Hallmark has to offer, but for just a moment I craved the sun. Memories of my trip to Puerto Rico last year came flooding back and suddenly I wanted to be back where the warmth and the street food was abundant.

During my visit, I went to what can only be described as a dive - graffitied walls from previous patrons, weathered wooden tables and plastic white chairs filled a dimly lit space the size of a studio apartment. It had a small walk up with a chalkboard stand that had three items scrawled on it: empanadas, papas rellenos and maduros. Obviously, I ordered one of each. I was quickly transported back to my childhood when dishes like these often adorned the table at my grandma’s in the Dominican Republic. The empanada I had there altered my brain chemistry. It had a bubbly, golden brown outside and was filled with delicious melted white cheese. 

So when I looked at the weather this week, it was not only the thought of this empanada that overwhelmed my senses but the thought of being a kid again, sitting around with my family in the Dominican Republic and sharing food.

There is a lot of overlap between Puerto Rican and Dominican food and both cultures have a lot of pride (believe me, I am from both). Even though we fight over the origin and naming of our food, we find common ground when it comes to filling and frying dough. One snack I remember fondly is guava and cheese. Often, we’d have a 14 oz brick of guava paste that we’d cut chunks off to eat with queso blanco (white cheese) but we never did anything else with the paste. Eventually, a chunk of it would end up in the trash after sitting in the fridge for too long. 

As you can imagine, I was nostalgic walking through the aisles of the quaint Puerto Rican grocery stores and immediately grabbed a 14 oz brick of guava paste and brought it all the way back to Chicago. I knew I wanted to do more than just snack on cheese and guava so I challenged myself to make a few different recipes with it. Surprise, I filled and fried something along with some sauces I thought might be fun. Join me on this guava journey. 

A few things to note:

The scale is your best friend in this recipe. Pastry is best made when the ingredients are weighed out, but if you don’t have one I also included alternative measurements. 

I specifically sought out Hispanic white cheese for this recipe (typically called queso blanco) because it has a little salt that brings a nice balance to the sweet guava paste. You can use pretty much use any cheese you want but keep in mind you’ll want to strike a balance between savory and sweet.

Guava and Cheese Empanadas

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Makes: 12

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1.5 hours

For the empanada dough:

9 oz of all-purpose flour (about 1.5 cups)

1.5 oz of shortening (about 3 Tablespoons)

1/2 cup of warm water

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the filling:

6 1/4” slices of guava paste, cut in half

Queso blanco (or any white cheese), crumbled or sliced into small rectangles

Water for sealing empanadas

3 cups of canola or vegetable oil (or enough to submerge)

Thermometer

Salt

1. Measure out 9 oz of all purpose flour in a medium bowl. Add the shortening and incorporate with your hands until there are no large chunks left. The dough will be shaggy.

2. Combine the warm water and salt to dissolve it and then add to the dough. Bring it together with your hands and knead into a relatively smooth ball for about 5-8 minutes.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

4. Prepare the filling elements and set aside

5. Once the dough has rested, divide into 12 even pieces. You can either weigh the entire ball and divide by 12 to determine the size of each portion or roll out into a cylinder and cut into 12 even pieces.

6. Using a rolling pin, roll each portion out into 1/8” thick circle. Make sure to keep the other portions covered with plastic wrap as you’re working so they don’t dry out.

7. Layer the guava and cheese on the dough circle with enough room around the edges to fold over easy. Be careful not to overfill.

8. Dab a little bit of water around the edges of the dough circle before folding it over to seal in the filling, making sure to push out any air bubbles.

9. Use a fork to crimp along the edges and ensure there are no holes are gaps.

10. Repeat with the remaining portions and cover with plastic wrap as you complete so as not to dry any finished empanadas out.

11. Heat a heavy pot of oil to 375 degrees F.

12. Slowly lower in the empanadas into the oil and cook until bubbly and golden brown. You should be able to do 2-3 at a time depending on the size of your pot, but be careful not to overcrowd. I recommend using a slotted spoon or spider to lower and remove them.

13. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Sprinkle with salt.

14. Repeat with the remaining empanadas. Optional: serve with guava aioli.

Guava Aioli

Makes: 1 cup

Prep time: 15 minutes

1 oz guava paste, cubed

1 cup of mayo

1/2 lime, zested and juiced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processer until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

The guava adventure concludes with my last recipe that I pulled together so that I could use the rest of the greens dying in my fridge as well as the last ounce of guava. This would also be a great vinaigrette on vegetables, particularly beets and carrots.

Guava Vinaigrette

Makes: 1 cup

Prep time: 15 minutes

1 oz of guava paste, cubed

2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1 lime, zest and juice

2 Tablespoons of water, plus more as needed

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1. Combine guava paste, apple cider vinegar, zest, juice and water into a bowl or glass measuring cup. Using an immersion blender, process ingredients until smooth and slightly thickened. If the dressing is too thick, add more water a Tablespoon at a time.
2. Switch to a whisk and slowly drizzle in EVOO.
3. Add salt to taste. 

So concludes my challenge to myself to use every ounce of that guava paste and my trip down memory lane. Speaking of memory lane, check out Chef Max’s recipe for guava jam inspired by his trip to Mexico for even more guava uses. 

It’s the season of giving so come make some memories with us and check out some great deals we’ll be having this weekend:

• Plaid Friday 11/29 15% off retail, 10% off wine/spirits, tastings
• Small Business Saturday 11/30 15% off retail, 10% off wine/spirits, tastings
• Cyber Monday 12/2 15% off all e-gift cards
• Giving Tuesday 12/3 15% of all e-gift card sales will be donated to The Friendship Center in Lincoln Square to help fight hunger in our area. 

And of course, we have plenty of classes to help you with all of your holiday cooking and baking needs.