Review of Blue Apron's Empanadas with Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Yesterday, I received my first Blue Apron delivery.

This is a review of Empanadas de Picadillo with Tomato-Cucumber Salad & Lime Crema.

I have tried empanadas before made by a friend's mother who is from the Dominican Republic.

They. Were. Stellar.

I chose to make this dish with the glimmer of hope that I could possibly replicate those amazing empanadas.

Plus, I wouldn't have to make the dough for the empanada wrapper.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the tomato was stored in a cardboard container to help reduce risk of damage during processing and shipment.

The produce- tomato, scallions, lime, and cucumber were all in excellent condition and appeared fresh upon arrival. Unlike the Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon produce which overall had seen better and fresher days.

Overall, the dish was okay.

Critique:

1) I feel that the dish was on the bland side.

I expected the dish to have more depth and flavors. In particular, I was disappointed at the lack of "bite" to the dish.  I was especially dissatisfied with the blandness of the empanada's beef filling which relied on basic Mexican spice blend aka: taco seasoning for the bulk of it's flavor.

In my opinion, I would have added fresh diced peppers such as poblanos to add some heat and some white onions to further add some complexity to the flavor of the filling.

I found myself slathering on the Lime Crema to add more flavor to the empanadas.

My husband on the other hand has no criticisms of the meal and did not feel the dish was bland.  Worthy of noting my husband prefers a blander diet than I do and also does not prefer hot sauce in general (his preferred hot sauce is Frank’s Red Hot and when he is feeling adventurous minuscule amounts of Sriracha).

2) The Tomato-Cucumber Salad was a refreshing side dish especially on a hot summer day.

The empanadas recipe produces extra beef filling (I estimate about a quarter cup) which I was not sure what to do with.

I decided to alter the salad recipe by adding the extra beef empanada filling and combining.

I ended up liking the salad more than the empanadas but again, the salad was on the bland side as well in my opinion.

Overall, I feel that this dish was good but, needs more complex flavors and heat. I think the dish is milder than expected to cater to the broad spectrum of customers- many of whom I suspect dislike spicy foods.

For now, I will have to continue my search for a stellar empanada recipe.