These fruit pies, smaller than empanadas, are a big hit at special occasions, including Christmas and Pueblo feast days. At the Trujillo Family Farm, on Nambé Pueblo, Gloria Trujillo and her family grow chile, squash, and corn that regularly earn blue ribbons from the New Mexico State Fair. The Trujillos are equally known for their empanaditas, gathering to make hundreds for friends, neighbors, and family feasts. This is their famous recipe, which appeared in New Mexico Magazine’s December 1995 issue. A Spanish colonial version of the recipe calls for the pies to be filled with mincemeat and fried.
DOUGH
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
FILLING
- 1 cup dried fruit, cooked, drained, and chopped (apricots, peaches, pears, raisins, or prunes)
- Additional sweetening, if needed: ⅓ cup sugar or 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Makes 10
- Pour boiling water over dried fruit and let sit until softened, then strain.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in lard until mixture resembles fine meal. Slowly add water until dough is easy to roll. Roll out to ¼-inch thickness and cut into 4-inch rounds.
- Stir the chopped fruit, sweetening, and cinnamon together and put 1 tablespoon of filling on one half of each round. Fold over the other half of the round and pinch the edges together firmly. Prick the tops in several places using the tines of a fork. Mix the egg with the milk and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
In this landmark cookbook from America's oldest state magazine, fifty recipes showcase classics from the archives and groundbreaking creations of contemporary chefs. Purchase the New Mexico Magazine Centennial Cookbook today!