Coffee with empanadas, a family tradition

For as long as I can remember, my family has always had empanadas at the end of the year. It all started with my grandmother, and I think it went even further back, but I remember my mother and grandmother making empanadas for the whole family.

They are beautiful memories that remain in everyone's minds to this day. Now that my grandmother is no longer with us, the tradition of making empanadas has been passed on to my mother, and she will pass it on to us in a continuous and endless cycle.

Christmas and New Year's Eve empanadas are so special, I would say more so than those made on any other date. It is a moment in which everyone meets in the kitchen to carry out a specific task that contributes to achieving the same objective.

Now that my mom is getting older, she needs help with the other tasks of making empanadas. The first thing my mom makes is the stew that serves as a filling for the empanadas.

This stew has many things that make it delicious. We can find rice, cooked egg chopped into small pieces, beef chopped into very fine pieces, onion, peas, and saffron to give it color. All this is cooked and mixed homogeneously. The final result is a very delicious stuffing.

After preparing the filling or stew. We proceed to prepare the dough that will be used to contain the filling of the empanadas. We use corn or flour after my mother makes the tortillas, and in the center, she puts the stew or filling, closes the tortilla, and they are ready to fry. This step is where we all collaborate to make the tortillas and assemble the empanadas since it is a process that takes a long time.

While we work together to assemble the empanadas, laughter, and memories take over the afternoon. At that moment, we can feel the family bond becoming stronger and the love being renewed in each empanada that is made. It's more than just making an empanada. It's a family ritual and a family farewell to the year.

After finishing the empanadas, the process of frying them begins. My mother prepares the pot, where she pours a lot of oil so that the empanadas are well-fried and golden brown. Of course, only the bravest take on this challenge. The small burns are not lacking and are like a war wound for a good purpose. Haha

Frying the empanadas doesn't take long, but it can be tiring, and the person frying the empanada may feel very hot, so we take turns. The smell it gives off is simply wonderful and invites you to taste the freshly made empanada.

As time goes by, the empanadas become one by one. As night falls, the last empanadas are placed in the pot, ready to be eaten by hungry diners. When finished, the empanadas are placed in a container to distribute among family members.

Of course, coffee is essential, a dark and strong one, just the way I like it so that the flavor of the empanada is even more intense. I can't describe in words what it feels like when coffee and a piece of empanada meet inside my mouth. I can only say that it is a game of flavors that merge.

Coffee is passed from hand to hand, along with empanadas made with love, and is the best way to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with laughter, memories, empanadas, and the delicious coffee that is our companion in every moment of our lives and in these special dates, where more than the material and money, we are united by love and family, togetherness, around the traditions left by our grandparents.