On Friday afternoon, Pery took me to her house for a lesson in empanada-making and for lunch afterward. The empanadas she taught me to make are not the dessert kind similar to little half-circle pastries that I was familiar with in New Mexico. Rather, these empanadas are heartier, main-dish empanadas that start with a masa of corn flour. Pery had bought the masa and then Juanita, the young woman who works for her, prepared it by adding salt and water and kneading it to a silken texture.

Pery said my job would be to [wo]man the tortilla press and assemble the empanadas. She then showed me how to take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball, slightly smaller than a golf ball, between my palms and then flatten the ball a little before placing it on the wooden tortilla press.

Pery’s press consists of two blocks of wood that can be pressed together using an attached handle. (Click to see an example of a wooden tortilla press similar to Pery’s; scroll down the page to view the oak one, not the decidedly phallic-looking mesquite one.) A circular piece of plastic wrap is placed on each wooden block to keep the dough from sticking to the wood when pressed.

I was pleased to discover that when I pressed the dough between the two wood blocks of the press—not too much pressure, not too little, but just enough—it produced a perfect circle of dough! The secret of round tortillas was revealed to me in that instant. -Okay, I know that there are women who produce the same round shape without the aid of a press, but I was happy to know that if I were ever to take up making tortillas and empanadas on a regular basis, I could make them look respectable with this maravilla, as Pery calls it.

Next, Pery instructed me to place one of three different fillings—mashed potatoes, or shredded cheese, or beef (I think she added soy protein, too) that she had cooked with onion, garlic, and cilantro--on half of each beautiful circle of dough. She then showed me how to fold the dough over the filling and press the edges slightly to keep the filling from falling out during frying. Juanita and Pery took turns frying the empanadas—I’m not sure for how many minutes on each side, but when they emerged from the hot oil, they were a lovely lightly golden color.

Pery complimented me on how uniform the empanada were and took this picture (coming soon) so that you, too, dear reader, can admire my handiwork. Now, I am a modest person at heart--some would say I have much to be modest about--but just look at those beautiful empanadas! How can I remain modest about my empanada-making skills in the face of this evidence?

And then we sat down to feast. Pery had made a salsa of tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, and garlic blended together and heated to serve on top of the empanadas, and there were crumbles of queso fresco, lettuce, and media crema (similar to sour cream but pourable) to put on top as well, a su gusto. My, my, my, those empanadas were tasty!