Argentinian Empanadas
An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish empanar (to bread, i.e., to coat with bread) and translates as 'breaded', that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are found all over Latin America, and vary from country to country.The Argentinian version uses olives and and hard boiled egg slices.This recipe is for baked, not fried Empanadas. You can use either frozen pie crust, empanada disc (buy online), or homemade dough. Makes 16-20 depending on size.Visit our National Hispanic Heritage Month post – https://thecultureties.com/national-hispanic-heritage-month/.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 oz chilled unsalted butter 1 stick of butter = 4 oz
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water or milk adjust as needed to obtain a soft and smooth dough
Meat Filling Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20 preferred
- 1 cup sweet onions diced
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika or Spanish paprika
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or dried
- ½ tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
- 3 hard boiled eggs sliced
- 1 egg divided
- ¼ cup sliced pitted green olives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Dough Instructions
- Cut the butter into approximately 1/2 in. cubes and and place with flour and salt in food processor.
- Beat the egg and combine with a 1/4 cup of water.
- Pulse machine to form a fine crumb type consistency. With machine running, slowly drizzle the water and egg into dough. Continue to pulse machine until a clumpy dough forms and all the ingredients are mixed.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or worktop and form into a ball. Tightly wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. While dough chills make your filling.
Meat Filling Instructions
- Combine the ground meat with the paprika, chili powder, oregano, and ground cumin. Mix well to distribute all the spices well.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet, over a medium heat and add the diced onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent.
- Turn up heat and add the ground meat and spices, Cook until the meat is slightly browned and no longer raw. (about 5 -7 minutes)
- Remove pan from the heat and allow the mixture to slightly cool. Stir in the green onion and olives. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Rolling the dough and assembling the Empanadas
- If baking immediately, preheat oven to 400°F degrees.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut the large ball in half. Place half back in fridge.
- On a floured worktop or board, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut 4-5 inch disks from the dough using pastry cutter, large glass or cup and stack between paper towel or parchment paper.
- Place a slice of boiled egg on one side of dough and add about a tablespoon of the meat mixture on top of the egg.
- Brush the edges of dough with either egg wash or water and fold over to form half moon shapes. Crimp the edges either with your fingers or a fork to give a scalloped edge. (you can also buy a pie crimper online ahead of time)
- Place parchment paper or silicon baking mat on a large cookie sheet, and arrange the empanadas on sheet.
- Brush with egg wash and place in the oven to bake.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden brown.
- While the first batch is baking, use the other half of the dough and make the second batch.
- Can be served from the oven or allowed to cool and served at room temp.
- You can freeze or refrigerate any left overs. Enjoy!
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