One of the most iconic appetizers in Argentina is empanadas. These little pockets of homemade dough are filled with a variety of savory fillings, and are a staple in Argentine cuisine. Empanadas are perfect for serving as an appetizer, as they are easy to eat with your hands and can be filled with a range of delicious ingredients.
While making the dough from scratch may seem intimidating, try making the recipe a few times and working with the dough. Before you know it, you will be rolling out and filling your own empanadas at home with ease.
Here is a recipe for traditional Argentinian beef empanadas that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
Empanadas
One of the most iconic appetizers in Argentina is empanadas. These little pockets of homemade dough are filled with a variety of savory fillings, and are a staple in Argentine cuisine. Empanadas are perfect for serving as an appetizer, as they are easy to eat with your hands and can be filled with a range of delicious ingredients.While making the dough from scratch may seem intimidating, try making the recipe a few times and working with the dough. Before you know it, you will be rolling out and filling your own empanadas at home with ease. Here is a recipe for traditional Argentinian beef empanadas that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 8 Tbsp (½ cup) unsalted butter, (cold and cubed)
- ½ cup lard, ( cold and cut into cubes)
- ½ cup ice cold water
- 1 egg, ( beaten, for egg wash on dough before baking)
For the Filling:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 16 oz ground beef
- ½ tsp Kosher salt, (for seasoning beef)
- 1 large white onion, (small dice)
- 1 red bell pepper, ( small dice)
- 2 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- ½ cup green olive, (roughly chopped)
- 3 Tbsp dried raisins, (roughly chopped)
- 2 whole eggs, (hard-boiled, peeled, and roughly chopped)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, (to taste)
Instructions
For the Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, freshly-ground black pepper, paprika, and cumin.
- Add the cold cubed butter and cold lard to the flour mixture.
- Use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the cold butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Gradually add the cold water to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough gently for 5-7 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
- *It will take a minute or two for the dough to come together on the table. While you can add a few extra teaspoons of ice water the mix, avoid making the dough too wet. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come together at first, just take your time with it.
- Cover the kneaded dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
For the Filling:
- While the dough is chilling, it is time to prepare the filling.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Season the ground beef with ½ tsp of Kosher salt.
- When the skillet is hot, add the ground beef and cook, stirring relatively infrequently, until the ground beef is browned and about 70% cooked through, or roughly 4-5 minutes.
- Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper to the skillet, and stir to combine.
- Add the green olives, raisins, and chopped hard-boiled eggs to the skillet, stirring to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Season the filling to taste with Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare your chilled dough.
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch using a flat rolling pin.
- Using a circular cookie cutter or a small bowl, cut circles out of the dough that are approximately 5-6” in diameter.
- Spoon a small amount of the filling you prepared earlier onto each circle of dough, leaving a ½” border around the edge of the dough where there is no filling.
- *Try to avoid overfilling the empanadas at this stage.
- Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, and use a fork to crimp the edges of the empanada closed.
- Repeat this process with the remaining dough circles and filling.
- Place the filled empanadas carefully on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the empanadas with a light layer of egg wash.
- Bake the empanadas in the oven for roughly 15-20 minutes, or until the empanadas are a perfect golden-brown color and the dough is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven, and allow the empanadas to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy while the empanadas are still warm from the oven.
Notes
Empanadas can be reheated in the oven and will still taste delicious the following day.