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Oaxaca's corn-masa empanaditas, hand-pressed and filled with quesillo, flor de calabaza, and hoja santa, then toasted on a comal until the edges crisp and the cheese stretches in long, stubborn threads.
This is Oaxacan market food. You find these at the Central de Abastos in Oaxaca de Juarez, sold by senoras who press each one by hand on a sheet of plastic, fill it, fold it, and lay it on a comal that has not cooled down since five in the morning. The line does not stop. The comal does not rest. Cada estado, su propia cocina, and in Oaxaca, empanaditas de quesillo are as common as breathing.
The masa is corn. Not wheat flour. Oaxacan empanaditas are made from nixtamalized corn dough pressed thin enough to fold without cracking, enriched with a little manteca de cerdo so the edges crisp instead of drying out. The filling is three ingredients doing exactly what they are supposed to do: quesillo pulls in long threads when it melts, flor de calabaza gives the filling a vegetal sweetness that keeps the cheese honest, and hoja santa, that enormous anise-scented leaf you cannot find anywhere else in Mexican cooking at this scale, wraps itself around both and perfumes everything.
I collected this recipe from a woman named Dona Catalina at the Mercado de la Merced in Oaxaca, not the one in Mexico City. She made sixty empanaditas an hour and did not look up while she talked. She told me the masa has to be soft, softer than tortilla masa, because it needs to fold without breaking. She told me the quesillo goes in cold so it melts slowly on the comal instead of running out. She told me to stop writing and start pressing. My mother would have liked her.
Flor de calabaza is seasonal, tied to the rainy months from June through September when the squash vines flower across Oaxaca's milpas. If you are making these outside that window, the blossoms at your market should be firm, bright, and tightly closed. If they are wilted, wait. Cook what the market is selling today, not what is on a Pinterest board.
Corn-masa empanadas predate the Spanish-introduced wheat empanada by centuries; the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples of Oaxaca formed stuffed corn-dough parcels cooked on clay comales long before contact, using wild greens, beans, and chiles as fillings. Quesillo, Oaxaca's signature pulled-string cheese, was reportedly developed in the late 19th century in the town of Reyes Etla in the Valles Centrales, when a young girl accidentally left fresh curds in hot water too long and discovered they could be stretched and wound into balls. The combination of quesillo with flor de calabaza in empanaditas became a market staple across the Valles Centrales by the mid-20th century, coinciding with the growth of Oaxaca de Juarez's mercado system as a center of regional food commerce.
Quantity
2 cups masa harina, or 1 pound fresh masa
Quantity
2 tablespoons, softened, plus more for the comal
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1 1/4 cups (if using masa harina; adjust as needed)
Quantity
8 ounces
pulled into thin strips
Quantity
12 to 16
pistils removed, roughly chopped
Quantity
3 large
central vein removed, torn into 2-inch pieces
Quantity
1/2 medium
finely diced
Quantity
1
roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin strips
Quantity
1 tablespoon
roughly chopped
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
pinch
Quantity
for serving
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| masa harina for tortillas, or fresh nixtamalized masa | 2 cups masa harina, or 1 pound fresh masa |
| manteca de cerdo (pork lard) | 2 tablespoons, softened, plus more for the comal |
| fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| warm water | 1 1/4 cups (if using masa harina; adjust as needed) |
| quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese)pulled into thin strips | 8 ounces |
| fresh squash blossoms (flor de calabaza)pistils removed, roughly chopped | 12 to 16 |
| hoja santa leavescentral vein removed, torn into 2-inch pieces | 3 large |
| white onionfinely diced | 1/2 medium |
| fresh chile de agua or chile poblanoroasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin strips | 1 |
| fresh epazote leavesroughly chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| manteca de cerdo or mild vegetable oil (for filling) | 1 tablespoon |
| fine salt (for filling) | pinch |
| salsa de pasilla oaxaqueno (optional) | for serving |
| lime wedges (optional) | for serving |
Gently open each squash blossom and pull out the pistil from the center. It is bitter and has no place in the filling. Rinse the blossoms quickly under cold water and shake them dry. Roughly chop them. Do not handle them more than necessary. They bruise easily and turn slimy if they sit wet.
Heat one tablespoon of manteca de cerdo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced white onion and cook for two minutes, until it softens but does not brown. Add the roasted chile strips and the chopped epazote. Stir for one minute. Add the chopped squash blossoms and a pinch of salt. Cook for three to four minutes, stirring gently, until the blossoms wilt and release their liquid and that liquid cooks off. The filling should be moist, not wet. A wet filling soaks through the masa and tears the empanadita on the comal. Set aside to cool completely.
If using masa harina, combine it with the salt in a large bowl. Work in the softened lard with your fingers until the mixture feels like damp sand. Add the warm water gradually, kneading with your hands until you have a smooth, pliable dough. If using fresh masa from a tortilleria, knead in the lard and salt and add water only if the dough feels stiff. The masa should be softer than tortilla dough. Press a ball of it between your palms. If the edges crack, it is too dry. Add a tablespoon of water at a time. If it sticks to the plastic, it is too wet. Add a tablespoon of masa harina. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for ten minutes.
Divide the masa into 14 to 16 balls, each about the size of a golf ball. Cut open a ziplock bag or use a sheet of plastic. Place one ball on the plastic, cover with the second sheet, and press flat with a tortilla press or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Press to about five inches across and a little thicker than a tortilla. Peel back the top plastic carefully.
On one half of each pressed disc, lay a few strips of quesillo, a spoonful of the cooled squash blossom filling, and a torn piece of hoja santa. Do not overfill. The cheese should melt inside, not ooze out. Using the plastic underneath as a guide, fold the empty half of the masa over the filling to form a half-moon. Press the edges gently to seal, then peel away the plastic. If the edge cracks, wet your fingertip and smooth it. Set the empanadita on a parchment-lined tray and repeat.
Heat a comal or large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Brush lightly with a thin film of manteca de cerdo. Lay the empanaditas on the hot surface without crowding, three or four at a time. Cook for three to four minutes per side. The masa will develop golden-brown spots and the surface will feel dry and firm. You will hear the cheese beginning to sizzle faintly inside. Flip once. Press lightly with a spatula after flipping so the second side makes full contact with the comal. When both sides are spotted and the edges are crisp, they are done.
Transfer the empanaditas to a plate lined with a cloth servilleta to stay warm. Serve with salsa de pasilla oaxaqueno and lime wedges. Break one open at the table. The quesillo should stretch in long, stubborn threads. The hoja santa should perfume the first bite. That is how you know you got it right. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.
1 serving (about 60g)
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