There are so many countries around the world that have their own take on empanadas.. and no wonder!. They’re practical, inexpensive and versatile. In Argentina we eat them all around the year and especially on the national holidays, like July 9th and May 25th.Recently the empanadas from Mendoza (where I live) were chosen as the best of Argentina.
The empanadas from Mendoza are well known for being the juiciest so be sure to have spare napkins close by! In this recipe you will learn how to make the empanada dough, the beef filling and how to seal the empanada.
How To Make The Empanada Dough
How To Make Empanada Filling
1. Melt beef tallow or butter in a wide heavy skillet over medium high heat, add the thinly sliced yellow onions and fry until translucent. Add the ground beef and stir fry throughout for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat down to cook the meat completely for about 15 minutes.
2. While cooking the meat add a pinch of oregano, black pepper, paprika, cumin, and hot pepper flakes along with 2 chopped scallions. You can also add some corn, peas, or chopped carrots if you wish.
3. Once the filling is cooked let cool completely until before assembling the empanadas. It can also be stores in the fridge for the following day. It’s Time To Fill The Empanadas!
4. Arrange the empanada dough and put 2 tablespoons of beef filling, a slice of hard boiled egg and a single olive. Moisten the outer edge of each empanada dough with water..
Then wrap dough around the filling to form an empanada, pressing edges together. Fold edge back and finish by pinching little pleats or crimping with a fork (See Empanada Video Below). OR, you can use an empanada presser. (They are not expensive)
5. When empanadas are sealed heat oven to 375 degrees. Place empanadas on an oil based non stick baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Brush tops lightly with butter and bake on top shelf of oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes and serve warm. Enjoy your empanada!
