

One more thing: Just as one can, say, eat more pizza slices from a chef who uses a nimble, low-gluten dough, Claudia’s ultra-thin crusts allow the customer to consume three or four of her empanadas without feeling overstuffed. Claudia strives for balance with her empanadas accordingly, the team provides hot sauce only upon request. That soft pork belly exudes the clean, earthy funk of good swine, while a bit of vinegared onions keep the jiggly, marshmallowy fat in check. This allows the essence of the fillings to come through with remarkable clarity the casing around the chicharon variety is so delicate that it could almost pass itself off as a shumai dumpling. Richard tells me that Claudia rolls the wheat dough thinner than what one might normally find in Peru, resulting in a crust that’s about as light as a wonton wrapper.

That means when you chomp down on the lomo saltado variety - packed with chewy tenderloin and sweet onions - a jolt of sweet, beefy juices will squirt into your mouth and dribble down your chin. Keep in mind that these aren’t heat lamp empanadas each one is baked to order and served immediately. Last summer, however, the duo finally opened up their brick-and-mortar flagship in Fieldston, where they debuted empanadas ($3-$3.50) stuffed with classic Peruvian preparations like aji de gallina and chicharon. The Newcomers Claudy’s KitchenĬhorizo and potato empanada at Claudy’s Kitchen Ryan Sutton/Eater NYĬhef Claudia Berroa and her husband, Richard Berroa, a former paramedic, have been selling their flan at Zabar’s, Union Market, and elsewhere for years. The others, including the Ecuadorian Ñaña with its breathtaking plantain shells, have been around longer. Some are newer, like the Peruvian Claudy’s, the Colombian Salento, and the Argentine Criollas. What follows is an account of some very good empanada shops.
Chicas chicas en corona queens full#
The empanada also benefits from its size and modularity it is usually small enough to be eaten with a single hand, and if you’re suddenly full after consuming the first or second one, the third or fourth can be stored in the fridge with little deterioration. Its edible casing obviates the need for napkins. It doesn’t spill out the back when you bite it in the front. Unlike certain burgers or tacos, it benefits from an assured sense of structural integrity. Of New York’s classic foodstuffs, the empanada easily ranks among the most portable. For this critic, however, the diverse empanadas of Latin America served the same function over the past year, feeding me when I was seeking a bit of culinary inspiration along with a dose of affordable nourishment. My good colleague Robert Sietsema recently penned a beautiful ode to the sandwich, a foodstuff that he said was “our salvation” during the pandemic - due in no small part to the fact that it can be consumed standing up and without utensils. Finally, I tried an airy cinnamon apple variety that made me wish McDonald’s served a version like this across the country.Įmpanadas, a dish whose name derives from the Spanish verb empanar (“to bread”), always make me quite happy. Then I moved onto a chorizo variety that carefully deployed its potatoes to keep the smokiness of the dried Spanish sausage in check. To start, I devoured a powerfully porky chicharon empanada that felt as weightless as a Zalto wine stem. In a quiet section of Van Cortlandt Park, I found a nice bench and sampled a few empanadas from Claudy’s Kitchen, a Peruvian spot that opened last summer during the pandemic. Not too long ago in the North Bronx, steps away from the final stop on the 1 train, I enjoyed one of the more technically astute and delicious meals I’ve had in recent memory.
