Me Encanta Empanadas! Cheesy Chorizo Empanadas

I do, oh boy, I really do. Last year at my Dad's I was on an empanada craze, making every kind  I could think of after dabbling in Daisy Martinez's Morning, Noon and Night Latin cookbook. Basically you can make an empanada with any filling so long as it isn't too wet. What I love about these filled pastries is that they are so versatile. The dough itself varies from culture to culture. There is the flour-based pastellilo, from Puerto Rico, there is the masa-harina based empanada from Colombia, and there are the yeasty Salteñas from Bolivia. And as far as those fillings....they run the gamut! Guava and cheese, chicken, pork, corn, bacon and shrimp, and the list goes on...


Recently I have been doin' a fridge cleanup, so basically, I am trying to create meals with what's leftover in the fridge...and cabinets. I had a frozen link of chorizo mexicano, a half chunk of mozzarella, and wonton wrappers. I felt itty bitty empanadas were in line. According to Mr. Raichlen, one of the easiest ways to cut the fat from an empanada is to change the dough. Using wonton wrappers, you can cut back on the fat (regular dough often has lard or butter in it and ends up being deep fried)--these little babies can be baked instead of fried!


About my inspiration for these empanadas...when I was little, my cousin Nena and her boyfriend worked at a Mexican restaurant that served this amazing appetizer of chorizo topped with rich, melted cheese. You dipped tortilla chips into it--it was wondrous. In honor of this memory I decided to make these Cheesy Chorizo Empanadas. :-)