South American Beef Empanadas

(c) Ed Valdizán

Ed: These baked ground beef empanadas are one of my most beloved comfort foods. I remember my school days, when my mom used to put one or two empanadas in my lunch box, and I would enjoy them at recess. I don’t recall what other kids were eating, but I loved my lunch!

Every time I make this snack for people, they are amazed. Someone always begs me for the recipe. Beef empanadas have an attractive golden color, are kind of cute (looking a little like a pocket), and hide a delicious, hearty filling in an easy-to-handle edible package.

Empanadas are very well known in all Latin America, and they come in countless regional varieties. This recipe is for Argentinian-style baked empanadas. The gauchos of the South American pampas were in need of a hearty, easy-to-carry meal made with the ingredients they had closest at hand: beef, onions, and olives. Fortunately for us, this delicious style of empanada is the solution they developed.

This recipe produces about a dozen small empanadas, to be served as snacks or appetizers. The size of empanadas in general, however, can vary. Larger ones cross the line from a snack to a hand-held meal and can include diced carrots and potatoes in the mix.

If you are not inclined to make your own empanada dough from scratch as described here, don’t hesitate to buy a package of empanada dough discs from the frozen foods section of a Latin American supermarket. Then just prepare the picadillo (beef hash) filling and assemble the goods.

See also the island-style cousin of this dish: Caribbean Beef Patties

Print

South American Beef Empanadas

Argentinian-style baked appetizer- or snack-sized empanadas.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Latin American

Keyword beef, empanadas

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 12 empanadas

Calories 550 kcal

Author Ed Valdizán with Robin Grose / comboplate.net

Ingredients

Picadillo Filling (Beef Hash)

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 medium-sized yellow onions
• 2 pounds ground beef I like 80/20
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste or minced garlic
• 1 cup small black olives
• ½ cup seedless raisins
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Empanada Dough

• 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• ½ pound (1 and ¼ cup) softened pork lard or vegetable shortening
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Instructions

1. Prepare the picadillo filling: 
2. Clean the onions, cutting off both ends of the root and peeling off the outer layer. Cut each one in two (from end to end). Peel under cold water and dice.

3. Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oils is hot, add the diced onions and sauté them until they are transparent but not golden. Add the ground beef and continue to sauté, stirring often, until it gets brown. Cover your empanada filling with a lid let it simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring about once every three minutes with a rubber scraper.

4. After about fifteen minutes, use a slotted spoon to drain the picadillo. You can now transfer it to a smaller pan since it will have decreased in volume by at about 40%.

5. Add the seasonings one after another, including the olives and raisins. Stir carefully, raising it back to medium heat for ten more minutes. Then remove the picadillo from the heat and leave it uncovered so that it reaches room temperature.
6. Make the dough: 
7. Pour the flour into a large, wide bowl, forming a ring. In the center of the ring, add the salt, sugar, and softened lard or shortening. Stir with a rubber spatula in a circular motion until it looks like large crumbs.
8. Pour in the water gradually, stirring constantly. Once the dough has come together in one large ball, take it out of the bowl and knead it on the countertop with both hands for five or ten minutes. Then let it rest for half an hour (at room temperature).

9. Assemble and bake your empanadas: 

10. Turn your oven on to 375F/190C so that it can pre-heat.

    Taking a little dough (enough to fit in one palm, roughly golf-ball-sized or slightly larger), roll it with both hands to make a ball. Roll it out with a bottle or rolling pin into circle about 8 inches in diameter.
    

11. Place a tablespoon of the filling and a slice of boiled egg in the middle of the circle. Moisten the outside edge of the dough disc with a few drops of water to make it a little sticker. Then fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges with a fork or pinch them with your fingers to seal the empanada. Gently set aside.

    Continue assembling empanadas until the dough runs out.
    

12. Grease a baking sheet and place the empanadas on it one by one, leaving about ½ inch in between them. Check all the edges of the empanadas and make sure they are well sealed. Brush the top side of each empanada with a little of the beaten egg, which will give them a lovely light brown color.
13. Bake your empanadas for 25 minutes, until beautifully golden.

14. Carefully take the empanadas out of the oven carefully and use kitchen tongs to place them or a wire rack or straw basket to breathe and rest for a while (15 to 20 minutes).

15. Serve your delicious Argentinian-style beef empanadas as a snack or appetizer on small plates. If desired, add a lime quarter on each plate in case your guests would like to squeeze some lime drops inside the empanada, and—why not?—maybe a little hot sauce, as well. It’s all matter of taking delicious risks!

16. Store any leftover empanadas in the fridge; reheat in the microwave or very slowly in a covered skillet. These don’t freeze well.