I was thinking about empanadas all week and how there are so many equivalent “edible packaged” foods around the world. (Oh god, did I just admit that I think about food all week?) Knishes, samosas, pasties, calzones…. the list goes on. If all these cultures have invented similar dishes, you have to assume they’re all doing something right. And after making these empanadas, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are. There’s just something about meat wrapped in dough– yum!
The filling:
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 3 medium-sized yellow onions, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsps sweet paprika
- 2 tsps ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup of beef broth
- 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 15 olives, sliced
- seedless raisins (optional)
Heat some oil in a large skillet and cook the onions on medium high heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the ground beef using a spatula to break down the meat into smaller pieces. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and add the beef broth and cook for a few more minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle the flour in and stir until the mixture is thickened. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until you’re ready to assemble your empanadas.
The dough:
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 cup of vegetable shortening
- 1 cup of warm milk
In a food processor add your flour, baking powder and salt. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the vegetable shortening in spoonfuls (16 tbsps= 1 cup). Pulse until the mixture starts to look like cornmeal. Then while the blade is running, add the warm milk. Process until the dough starts to come together in a ball. Transfer to a floured surface and knead for a few seconds and form it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough in half and roll each half into even logs. Cut six even pieces of dough in each log so you have 12 even pieces.
On a floured surface roll each small ball of dough into a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Fill the center with 2 spoonfuls of your pino. Top with a slice of hard boiled egg, a few slices of olives and some raisins. Then fold the bottom end to the top so you have a half moon shape. Gently seal all the edges by pressing gently and folding the sides of the rounded edge so you have a trapezoid shape.
Brush your empanadas with an egg wash (1 egg white mixed with a tablespoon of water). Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes . Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Or if you’re like us, you sacrifice a few taste buds and break into them with a fork straight out of the oven.
Recipe adapted from The South American Table: The Flavor and Soul of Authentic Home Cooking from Patagonia to Rio De Janeiro, With 450 Recipes
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
These look wonderful. I found your blog via the Foodbuzz Project Food Blog competition. I’ve been browsing through your earlier entries and must tell you how much I love the food, photos and recipes you feature here. I’ll be back to see your entry in the next leg of the competition. I hope you are having a great day. Good luck and blessings…Mary
How lovely to discover this recipe on the 200th Anniversary of Chilean Independence! Will be making them tonight to enjoy with some Chilean wine!! Viva Chile!
I wish I could have been there for this! Next time we have to go Argentinian and get my mom in on it.
yeah my dad will like this