Empanadas de Chorizo y Quesillo al Comal
Mañanas en la Cocina: Breakfasts & Morning Rhythms
In Oaxaca, an empanada isn't an oven-baked pastry or a deep-fried pocket. It is a celebration of the comal, born in bustling morning markets where large, thin half-moons of corn masa are toasted on hot griddles. The secret to recreating that unmistakable aroma on a Midwestern weeknight is twofold: fortifying the dough with a spoonful of manteca, and letting the spiced red oils of the chorizo bleed into the masa from the inside out. It is a masterpiece of simplicity that demands no special equipment—just hot metal, good masa, and the patience to wait for the quesillo to stretch.
Before you start
Prepare the tortilla press liners.
Cut the side seams off a heavy-duty zip-top freezer bag to create two sturdy plastic sheets for pressing the sticky masa.
Ingredients
- authentic Mexican pork chorizo1/2 lb
- ground clove1/8 tsp
- apple cider vinegar1/2 tsp
- Queso Oaxaca2 cup
- Masa Harina2 cup
- warm water1 3/4 cup
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- pork lard1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Brown the chorizo until the fat renders and the meat crisps.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Mix the chorizo with the ground clove and apple cider vinegar to mimic the regional Oaxacan flavor profile, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes while breaking it apart. Remove the meat to a paper towel with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered red fat in the pan.
- 02
Hydrate the masa harina with the warm water, salt, and lard.
In a large bowl, mix the masa, salt, and lard, slowly kneading in the warm water until the dough feels like soft, pliable playdough. Divide the masa into four tangerine-sized spheres and cover them with a damp towel so they do not dry out.
- 03
Press the masa into large, thin circles.
Preheat a heavy comal or wide cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Using your plastic-lined tortilla press, firmly flatten each masa ball into a 6-inch to 7-inch circle.
- 04
Toast the raw tortilla on the hot comal.
Peel the plastic away and gently lay the masa flat onto the dry, hot metal. Let it cook for roughly 60 seconds, just until the edges lift slightly and the dough easily releases from the pan.
- 05
Add the cheese and chorizo, then fold the tortilla into a half-moon.
Flip the tortilla, immediately cover one half with a generous handful of the stringed quesillo and a spoonful of the cooked chorizo, and fold the empty half over the top. Press the edges down gently with a spatula to seal.
- 06
Cook until the cheese melts and the crust stains red.
Move the folded empanada to a slightly cooler edge of the comal, cooking for 3 to 5 minutes per side until the quesillo turns to hot strings and the escaping chorizo oils toast the masa to a brilliant, crispy orange.
Notes
Use the right cheese and handle it correctly.
Authentic Oaxacan empanadas require Quesillo, sold in most American Latin markets as Queso Oaxaca. Never grate it; it must be pulled apart by hand into fine strings to achieve its signature, elastic melt.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.