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Hopanadas Recipe - Hop Along Cheese, Maple Bourbon Carnitas And Tomatillo Salsa Deliciousness

diana silva

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Hopanadas And Creamy Tomatillo Salsa

Introducing the new Hopanada! We upgraded the empanada, added  Mexican favorites, carnitas, tomatillo salsa, and Cowgirl Creamery's new Hop Along cheese. The combination of flavors will leave you wishing you had room for just one more while you listen to salsa music and sip on a margarita or two!

The recipe is below.

Happy Cooking!

Molé Mama

Hopanadas Ingredients

Consolidated Shopping List 

Substitutions are listed below to simplify the recipe and save time. 

Once all the prep is completed, the assembly of Hopanadas is easy!  

Makes 24 large Hopanadas

  • 5 - 7 pounds of boneless pork shoulder or 1 1/2 lbs of cooked carnitas

  • 1 cup of Manteca

  • 3 heads of garlic

  • 1 cup of orange juice

  • 1 ½ lbs tomatillos

  • 2 Serrano peppers 

  • 2 Jalapeño peppers 

  • ¼ bunch cilantro

  • 2 limes (juiced)

  • 2 avocados

  • 2 - 3 Medium zucchini

  • 1 lb Cowgirl Creamery Hop Along Cheese 

  • 1 cup tomatillo salsa

  • ½ cup of mild spreadable cheese (Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc if available)

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

  • 2 eggs at room temperature

  • ¾ - 1 cup whole milk

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • salt

  • Maple bourbon pellets

Maple Bourbon Carnitas

Step 1 - Maple Bourbon Carnitas Recipe

Substitution Option - 1 1/2 lbs of cooked chopped carnitas are needed for this recipe. You can purchase carnitas at Latino meat markets, specialty grocery stores, and some big grocery store chains sell frozen carnitas. Carnitas can be cooked on your stove if you don’t have a smoker. This recipe makes more carnitas than needed for Hopanadas, and other recipe suggestions are below.

Tools

  • Sharp knife

  • Large colander

  • Large frying pan

  • Molcajete or blender

  • If using a smoker 

    1. Large cast-iron skillet 

    2. Maple Bourbon pellets

Ingredients

  • 5 - 7 pounds of boneless pork shoulder

  • 1 cup of Manteca

  • Two heads of garlic

  • 1 cup of orange juice

  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Pork Prep

    1. Cut pork into 4-inch cubes, remove excess fat (save)

    2. Rinse all pork and fat after cutting

  2. Marinade

    1. In a molcajete or blender, puree garlic, with orange juice, salt & pepper

    2. Pour marinade over pork and cover, & refrigerate for at least 24 hrs 

  3. Cook On Stove

    1. Over medium heat, melt Manteca in a frying pan. Can skip Manteca if saved fat exceeds 1/2 lb. 

    2. Place carnitas into a frying pan with carnitas

    3. Stir carnitas often. 

    4. Cook carnitas until crunchy golden brown. 

    5. Cooking them longer will make the edges crunchier

    6. Takes approximately 2 - 3 hours of cooking time

  4. How To Cook Carnitas In Your Smoker 

    1. Heat smoker to 175 degrees

    2. Drain excess marinade from pork by pouring them into a colander 

    3. Place carnitas and Manteca in cast iron skillet. Can skip Manteca if saved fat exceeds 1/2 lb. 

    4. Stir carnitas about every 15 minutes.

    5. Cook carnitas until crunchy golden brown. Cooking them longer will make the edges crunchier

    6. Takes approximately 4 - 5 hours of smoking

  5. Chop and Serve

    1. Chop into small pieces

    2. Best served as Hopanadas or tacos with warm corn tortillas, cilantro, onions, salsa, and guacamole.

    3. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost and reheat carnitas in the oven @325 degrees until hot.


Step 2 - Tomatillo Salsas Recipes

This recipe creates two tomatillo salsas, one for the Hopanadas stuffing ingredients and the other as a dipping sauce, a creamy avocado tomatillo salsa.

Substitution Options - Can purchase tomatillo salsas at Latino markets and specialty grocery stores.

Tools

  • Sharp knife

  • Small stockpot

  • Blender

  • Measuring cup

  • Bowl

  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lbs tomatillos

  • 9 large peeled garlic cloves

  • 2 Serrano peppers with stems sliced off - use fewer peppers for less heat

  • 2 Jalapeño peppers with stems sliced off 

  • ¼ bunch cilantro

  • 2 limes (juiced)

  • 2 avocados

  • Salt to taste

Directions

  1. Remove tomatillo husks, wash tomatillos

  2. Wash peppers, garlic & cilantro

  3. Add tomatillos, garlic, peppers to a pot, fill with water

  4. Boil for 15 minutes

  5. Remove tomatillos, garlic, peppers from the pot, and add to the blender while still hot. Also, add lime juice and salt to the blender. Mix until smooth.

  6. Add cilantro to the blender and mix.

  7. Remove one cup of tomatillo salsa and set aside.

  8. Add 2 avocados to the blender and blend until smooth

  9. Remove creamery tomatillo salsa from the blender and pour it into the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for Hopanada dipping sauce.


Step 3 - Zucchini and Hopalong Cheese Prep

This step will prepare the remaining ingredients for the Hopanadas filling

Tools

  • Skillet

  • Cheese Grater

  • Sharp knife

  • Cutting board

  • Mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 - 3 Medium zucchini

  • 1 lb Cowgirl Creamery Hop Along Cheese 

  • 1 cup tomatillo salsa

Directions

  1. Grate zucchini ~ 2 cups

  2. Place grated zucchini and tomatillo salsa in the skillet

  3. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes over warm heat. Remove from the stove and let cool

  4. Grate Hop Along cheese and place it in a bowl.

Step 4 - Hopanada Dough 

A great substitution for Hopanada dough is frozen pie crust dough. Defrost it, roll out with flour to about ⅛ thick. Use a cutter and stuff the Hopanadas.

Tools

  • Bowl

  • Measuring cups

  • Measuring spoons

  • Rolling pin

  • Clean kitchen towel

  • 2 forks

  • Standing mixer (optional)

Ingredients

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature

  • 2 eggs at room temperature

  • ¾ - 1 cup whole milk

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

  1. Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder)

  2. Add butter. Mix well with two forks or with a standing mixer

  3. Add eggs. Mix well by hand or with a standing mixer. 

  4. Add milk gradually. Knead well by hand or with a standing mixer. Form into a large ball and cover with a towel for about 20 minutes to rise.

Hopanadas ready for baking!


Step 5 - Hopanadas Assembly

All the filling ingredients including the carnitas and zucchini need to be at room temperature or cooler or they will melt the dough. 

Tools

  • Rolling pin

  • Biscuit or cookie cutter (recommend 5” or 6”)

  • Butter knife

  • Spoons

  • Fork

  • Cookie Sheets

  • Parchment paper

Ingredients

  • Flour

  • Hopanada dough

  • Grated Hop Along cheese

  • Zucchini & tomatillo salsa (from step 3)

  • Chopped carnitas

  • ½ cup of mild spreadable cheese (Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc if available)

Directions

Hopanadas served and ready to enjoy!

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Form dough into 6 balls. Dust with flour and roll to about ⅛ - ¼ thick. 

  3. Use cookie or biscuit cutter to create individual Hopanada round discs

  4. To assemble Hopanada discs begin by gently spreading a small spoon of spreadable cheese with a butter knife, layer on a spoonful of zucchini/tomatillo salsa mixture, a spoonful of carnitas, and Hop Along cheese. It’s easier to seal a Hopanada that isn’t overstuffed. 

  5. To seal the Hopanadas, gently fold the disc in half, close edges with your finger, and use a fork to close more tightly. If you’re having a hard time sealing the edges, you can brush the inside edges with egg white; it will act as a glue for the empanadas. 

  6. Place Hopanadas on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and sprinkle Hop Along cheese on top very lightly

  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking time may vary depending on your oven.

  8. Remove from oven and serve hot Hopanadas with creamy tomatillo salsa

  9. Can freeze leftovers Hopanadas for up to 2 months.

  10. Best to reheat in the oven vs. microwave