Traditional, easy to make pastry dough makes the difference to these small, oven-baked "pies" — they will melt in your mouth. You can make the dough and the filling a few days in advance. These are served with chimichurri, perhaps the most famous Argentinian sauce, similar to pesto, and very popular throughout South America.
For the empanada dough
| 6 cups | Flour |
| 225 g | Butter |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
| 2 | Egg yolks |
| 1 ¾ cups | Warm milk, use up to 2 cups |
For the filling
| 100 g | Butter |
| 1 large | Onion, diced |
| 500 g | Beef mince (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Smoked paprika (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Chilli powder, use up to 2 tsp |
| 1 tsp | Ground cumin |
| 1 Tbsp | Chopped parsley |
| 1 Tbsp | Chopped oregano leaves |
| 3 | Hard-boiled eggs, sliced (Main) |
| ¼ cup | Green olives, sliced (Main) |
| 1 | Egg, whisked with a pinch of salt, for egg wash |
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Directions
- Mix flour, butter and salt in a food processor, pulse until well combined. Add egg yolks and milk, pulse until a dough starts to form. Divide in two, flatten into disks and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round discs approx. 12cm in diameter. Store in the fridge, covered until ready to use.
- For the filling, melt butter in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Add beef, paprika, chilli, cumin and some salt and pepper to taste. Cook on a medium heat until meat is done, stirring frequently. Mix in herbs.
- To assemble empanadas, place a spoonful of the beef mix on the centre of each empanada disc, add a slice of egg and a piece of olive. Brush the edges of the disc with egg wash, fold over and seal the edges firmly with your fingers. Use a fork to press down and finish sealing the empanadas. Place them carefully on a baking paper-lined baking tray. Lightly brush the top of each empanada with egg wash.
- Rest empanadas in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. Cook at 200C for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm withchimichurri.
