Beef Empanadas - Argentina

Welcome to our first day of cooking around the world! During lockdown I've decided to dedicate one day a week to learning a new dish from a different country. While I know (hope) lockdown won't last much longer, we've got 195 weeks of incredibly delicious meals ahead of us. For our first dinner destination we're heading to Argentina, where they make the most incredibly moreish beef empanadas. I admit, I have Westernised this recipe slightly to make the ingredients more accessible, but the results speak for themselves.

These empanadas are made with a beautifully buttery short crust pastry, and filled with a spicy beef mixture. Like most recipes, you can customise this to include whatever veggies and fillings you like, but I highly recommend using the same spice mixture for the most authentic flavours.

I served these with a quick pico de gallo (tomato, red onion, coriander, lime juice, salt and pepper) and sour cream, though you can also serve with guac and salsa to dip in.

Ingredients: Makes 6 Large Empanadas

For the pastry:

• 125g Butter, Chilled

• 1 2/3 Cup Plain Flour

• 1 Egg

• 10mL Cold Water

• Pinch Salt

For the Empanada Filling:

• 500g Beef Mince

• 1 Red Capsicum, Chopped

• 1 Brown Onion, Chopped

• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

• 2 Tbs Ground Cumin

• 2 Tbs Paprika

• 1 Tbs Ground Coriander

• 1 Tbs Cayenne Pepper

• 1 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes

• 1 Tbs Rice Bran Oil

• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Extra:

• 1 egg, Beaten

• 1/2 Cup Tasty Cheese, Grated

• 1/4 Cup Pickles Jalapenos, Chopped

Let's Make These Empanadas:

1. To make the pastry, blitz flour and butter in the food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg, water, and salt, and blitz for about 1-2 minutes, until mixture forms into a dough ball.

2. Remove the dough from the processor, and flatten into a disc. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 min.

3. In a large fry pan, heat oil and add garlic and onion. Cook on a low heat for around 5 minutes, or until onion has become translucent. Stir often with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the capsicum and spices to the pan, and continue to cook, stirring continuously for another 5 minutes.

5. Add the beef mince and break apart with your spoon to make sure you're left with a crumbly mixture. Once meat is fully browned, taste and adjust any seasoning as needed.

6. Set meat aside to cool for about 20 min.

7. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

8. Roll out your dough to roughly 3mm thick and cut out 6 circles. I use a small plate as my guide.

9. Place around 4 tablespoons of beef mixture in the middle of each circle, and top with cheese and jalapenos. Fold the circle over and crimp the edges with a fork.

10. Place on baking tray and brush with beaten egg.

11. Bake for 20 minutes or until empanadas are golden brown. Serve immediately.