Empanadas

I went again to Chyca's chaotic but fun house yesterday. I'm getting used to the rhythm now, barely knocking at the door before going in to find the plebes (kids) crawling around the house like ants. As soon as you cross the threshold they swarm and pull at your clothes as you try to get your bearings.

I went over because I've been begging Mari (Chyca's sister) to teach me to cook and dance. And she actually took me up on it! She decided to start with the easier task of teaching me how to cook a meal that I love.

To make her famous shrimp empanadas we started by peeling a bunch of slimy gray shrimp and dicing them. We mixed these in with a concoction of tomatoes and onions that were simmering on the stove until they formed a nice pastey sauce. Next we made the masa and used the press to smush balls of dough into perfect tortilla-shaped discs. Filling these with our mixture we pinched each empanada closed with our fingers and then submerged them in bubbling oil until they were perfectly golden. Served with mayo and a delicious avocado, tomato, lemon, cabbage, and onion salad, not much could have been better.