Empanada

Cookbook > Cuisine of Argentina - Meat - Recipes

The filling usually consists primarily of beef. It may also contain Cheese, Ham and cheese, humita (Sweetcorn with Béchamel sauce or Spinach; a fruit filling is used to create a dessert empanada. They are usually baked but fried empanadas are also eaten. Empanadas of the interior can be spiced with peppers, more akin to those of the rest of South America.

Chilean empanadas also use a wheat flour based dough, but the meat filling is slightly different and often contains more onion. Chilean's consider the Argentine filling seco, or dry. Fried empanadas of prawns and cheese are a favourite dish of the coastal areas, like Viña del Mar.

Colombian empanadas can contain potato and meat, stuffed in a corn based pastry and fried.

It is likely that empanadas were originally from Galicia, Spain, where they were prepared rather like Cornish Pasties as a portable and hearty meal for working people and often filled with leftovers or staple ingredients. Tuna and chicken are varieties still seen in Galicia.

Wheat Dough Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 kg Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 200 g Butter (or Margarine)
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2-3 cups cold water
• Olive oil
• Corn starch

Procedure

1. Dissolve salt in water.
2. Mix eggs, flour, butter and 1 cup of water to form a dough. While kneading the dough, gradually add in more water until the dough is soft and stretchy. If the dough becomes sticky, add more flour.
3. Once the dough is the desired consistency, allow to rest for a couple minutes, then roll it out to a thickness of ~2-3 mm.
4. Cut the dough into circles roughly 10-15 cm in diameter.

For a flakier crust, before cutting it into circles, lightly coat the dough with olive oil and dust with corn starch. Fold the dough in half (with the corn starch on the inside) and again coat with oil and corn starch. Fold again and roll out to a thickness of ~2-3 mm.

Filling (Relleno)

Every household in Argentina has its own special recipe for the empanada filling. The fillings also tend to vary from region to region, with some being sweet and others spicy. The following is the recipe for a sweet empanada filling typical of those found in the province of Santa Fe.

Ingrediants

• 1 kg Ground beef
• 1 large Onion
• 2 tblsp Vegetable oil
• 2 tblsp Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp ground Cumin (comino)
• 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Cloves
• 1/2 cup Raisins
• Green olives (optional)
• Diced hardboiled Egg (optional)
• Diced boiled Potatoes (optional)

Procedure

1. Dice onion into small pieces and Sautéing in vegetable oil in a large Frying pan. Add and Brown ground beef.
2. While beef is browning, mix in salt, sugar and spices.
3. Once meat has finished cooking remove from heat and add raisins.
4. If desired add sliced olives, egg or potatoes.

Filling (Pino)

Pino is the name of the filling used in Chilean empanadas. Much like filling for Argentine empanadas, each Chilean househould has their own pino. The one below is like the Argentine but includes more onions and does not have the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and less sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Ground beef
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 3 large Onion
• 2 tblsp Olive oil
• 1 tblsp Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp ground Cumin (comino)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/2 cup Raisins
• Black olives
• Diced hardboiled Egg

Procedure

1. Dice onion into small pieces and Sautéing in olive oil in a large Frying pan. Mince garlic and add to the onions. Add and Brown ground beef.
2. While beef is browning, mix in salt, sugar, spices and bay leaf.
3. Allow to simmer for about 20 mins for flavours to blend.
4. Remove bay leaf, and add olives and raisins.

Empanada preparation

1. Place 1-2 tablespoons of empanada filling into the center of one of the dough rounds (tapas).

1. Wet a ring of dough around the outer edge of the tapa with cold water and fold the tapa in half to encase the filling (the wetted portion will help the dough stick together).
2. If Chilean empanadas are being made add one piece of the diced hardboiled egg next to the filling.
3. Now grabbing the upper corner of the folded dough, pinch and twist over a small (finger-sized) portion of the dough. Continue pinching and twisting around the perimeter until you reach the bottom of the empanada, so that the open edge is sealed shut. (If you didn't understand that last part, you can also just use a fork to smash together the outside edge).
4. Repeat for the remaining filling and dough.
5. To cook the empanadas, Deep fry in vegetable oil on medium heat until golden brown. Alternatively, you can glaze them with butter and cook on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 °F for 8-10 minutes or until light brown.
6. Allow empanadas to cool slightly then serve.

Empanadas are usually eaten with your hands (like a taco or burrito).