Homemade Empanadas

We recently discovered empanada wrappers sold for next to nothing at a grocery store in Buenos Aires...we were overjoyed and have made homemade empanadas several times since.  I'm sure that making the wrappers yourself can't be too difficult.  We'll definitely have to learn when we get back to the states.

You can put anything under the sun into these little wrappers.  This time, we chose to stuff them with steak, caramelized onions, celery, and roquefort.  We also made a sweet one with plum and roquefort that turned out great!

You can wrap them up in a number of different ways.

Then toss them in the oven for about 20 minutes...we would tell you a specific temperature, but John's oven is too broken to set and the empanadas seem to turn out tasty regardless.

Find stick to hold oven closed if necessary...

Enjoy!

Octopus Ceviche

On our last night in Arica, our hostel owner's friend Eddie (owner of a popular empanada stand), taught us how to make octopus ceviche. Now, we'll teach you!

First, boil the whole octopus for 45 minutes-1 hour in salted water. You'll know when it'd tender because you'll be able to cut it with a fork. (A lot of recipes reccomend putting a cork in the water to help tenderize the octo. Eddie didn't, but it can't hurt, right? You can also freeze the octopus to tenderize it, or beat it with a rolling pin...)

For the marinade:

- 5 tblsp lime juice

- 1/4 c finely chopped red onion

- 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 2 tsp finely chopped scallions
- finely chopped hot pepper, serrano or red chilies to taste (we
  used one hot pepper)
- salt and pepper to taste

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces, toss with the marinade, and voila!