Winter’s Here, but have no fear! Empanadas can warm the soul
The Valley is rich in the empanada department. And that’s a good thing, because who doesn’t want their meal lovingly stuffed into a delicious pastry? Flaky, gold-colored dough makes everything better, especially during comfort food season. We couldn’t try them all… but we tried a few, just for you.
Casa de Nana’s
Boston Road, Springfield
Dessert empanada, $5.50
Casa de Nana’s in Springfield has been in business since the ’60s preparing homestyle Mexican food. The atmosphere is warm and casual with yellow stucco walls adorned with old photos of Mexico. They have one empanada on the menu and it’s a dessert. The $5.50 treat comes in a variety of flavors, on the Tuesday I visit, they are serving raspberry, blueberry, and apple. Raspberry it is. While waiting in the bar for the empanada, I order some chips and guacamole. Many guacs rely on spices to improve the fruit, but Nana knows better. The guacamole has a strong and sumptuous smooth avocado flavor. When the salad-plate-sized empanada comes, I’m dazzled by the cinnamon aroma and glittering sugar sprinkled on top. A slice into the pastry and out runs a thick tart and tangy simple raspberry compote. It’s delicious, but hot as lava and I burn my mouth to eat more. A couple bites in and it’s clear this dish needs a creamy element, ice cream, whipped cream, but all I have is guac — so why not? I spread a line of guacamole over the raspberry and flaky bits of pastry; the flavor is magical with a hint of onion. While the filling was excellent, the empanada dough was a let down. It tasted good and buttery, but there was just too much of it and the crimped edge of the treat was not fully cooked. Raw pastry dough is a crime, though an easy one to commit, kind of like jaywalking. If Nana trimmed back the dough on the crimped edge and put a dollop of cream on the dish, the dessert would be tremendous. As is, the empanada is okay.
El Comalito
West Street, Amherst
Beef empanada, $2.50
The empanadas — average-to-large in size — at Amherst’s small Mexican and Salvadoran restaurant El Comalito, are served simply with a pleasantly spiced salsa verde. The perfectly flaky and golden pastry is crisp to the bite and the filling is reminiscent of beef stew. The ground beef, potatoes, and onions tastes just like mom’s, though I wish they had put more of the filling in the pastry.
The empanada itself offers no spicy kick, but when dipped in the salsa each bite carries a satisfying heat. It’s pretty much everything one should expect in a good empanada.
Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse
Old South Street, Northampton
Empanadas de Carne, $9.50
At Caminito, empanadas are served in fours as an appetizer over a plate with chive and horseradish sour cream swirls. Because the pastries arrive on top of the cream, you need a fork.
The golden, egg-washed shell looks tasty, but one bite and I’m missing the greasy, deep-fried dough — these pastries appear to have been baked rather than fried. The pinched dough is a tad dry in the corners, as is the cubed sirloin within. It’s not bad, but not great, either. I give it a solid meh.
— A.D.
El Rincon Boriqua
Lyman Street, Holyoke
Pizza empanada, $1.25
El Rincon Boriqua translates to “The Puerto Rican Corner,” and the scene inside is true to that promise. On the Monday afternoon I visit, there’s a small crowd of chatting, laughing locals carrying steaming rice, beans and meat away from the lunch counter. The speakers blasted merengue music. On one wall: a cartoonish mural of a frog in a straw hat playing guitar.
I order the pizza-flavored empanada. I know that’s not the most traditional food item, and it’s far from El Rincon’s signature dish, but aren’t we supposed to be expanding our food horizons here?
Lovers of Puerto Rican food should stop in, but not for the pizza empanadilla. Its meatless marinara and cheese interior tastes like SpaghettiOs, but I improved it with a dash of hot sauce from the counter. Another plus: washing it down with a can of Coco Rico coconut soda.
— Hunter Styles
Old San Juan Bakery
High Street, Holyoke
Marisco, cerdo empanadas
I poke my head into the bakery and the smell of powdered sugar fills my nose. The colorful, glistening pastries in the front glass case are stunning, as always. Reluctantly, I pass them and head to the side counter to order two empanadillas: marisco (seafood) and cerdo (pork).
The seafood version is made with octopus and shrimp. Its briny taste and moist chewiness isn’t for everybody. I like it. It kind of tastes like a tuna fish Hot Pocket, but it’s not overly salty, and the fried flaky crust is nice and crispy. So is the outer layer of the pork empanadilla, which is tasty and lightly-seasoned. It’s a fairly mild recipe, but the richness of the pork speaks for itself.
— H.S.
El Sabor Caribeño
High Street, Holyoke
Chicken, pernil empanadas
The best empanada the Advocate found was at El Sabor Caribeño, also on High Street in Holyoke. The fluorescent interior there is strictly functional, but the meaty treats in that glass case are just awesome. The best two empanadillas are a rich, peppery pollo (chicken) version and — my favorite — one filled with pernil (pork shoulder).
It’s no surprise this one wins, because if you ask me, pernil is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. The pork is marinated and slow-roasted just right, and within a fried crust it’s just bursting with juicy flavor. This little cafe serves “the Caribbean flavor,” indeed.
— H.S.
