Here’s a treat that I get excited about every time I see them, but never make them. After doing so, I ask myself why – they aren’t hard. These baked Argentinian beef empanadas can be made in parts in advance, meaning that when it’s time to eat you can throw them together in a flash.
Not that we need anything to be done in a flash these days. The hours are long but the days are longer, amiright? But, the weeks seems short to me. It’s all kinds of contradictions that I can’t wrap my head around these days.
Why did I make these in the first place? Well, a friend of mine from my Chicago days started a recipe club when the pandemic hit. Every two weeks about 7 of us Zoom together to talk about what we made- and this week’s recipe happened to be these empanadas. The recipe comes from here, but I’ll admit it’s a little bare bones and I’ve filled in the blanks and made my own pie crust to make this what is now my own.
Do you need to make your own pie crust? No. But it’s so easy (and so good!) so why not?
As for the filling, I added a TON of spice, as you’ll see but I got no complaints about it from the peanut gallery. I kept the olives and walnuts because I love both of those things, but eliminated the raisins because I do not like those things at all. I contemplated adding craisins instead, but did not, so that’s another move for another time.
Another bonus of these is that they are baked, not fried. I don’t much like to fry things and have made a few exceptions in my eight years here on these pages (beignets, a must and these egg rolls are worth it!) so I was happy to see that I didn’t have to fry these. In more stream of consciousness, I’ve never been a fan of meat pies, but I’m rethinking my stance on them after this.
I’ve run out of things to say, but they are good and you should make them. Also, the filling would just be so great on some nachos. You should make that, too!
Oh and hey, I made empanadas before! Sweet ones, at that!
Baked Argentinian Beef Empanadas
Baked Argentinian Beef Empanadas are a traditional South American food filled with beef, olives and walnuts in a flaky crust.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 1 1b ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 tsp cumin
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- For the dough:
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg yolk
Directions
- Step 1 First, make the dough. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, butter, salt and sugar. Pulse until the butter resembles tiny peas. Transfer to a bowl, and make a well in the center. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine. Empty the bowl onto a floured cutting board or surface and using your hands, combine and flatten into a flat disc. Divide the disc in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Move to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to an hour. (Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in more than one batch)
- Step 2 While the dough chills, make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium to medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until soft and slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the beef to the pan and add the spices. Using a wooden spoon, break up the beef into pieces, and sauté until the beef is cooked through.
- Step 3 Chop the olives and add to the beef. Mix in the toasted walnuts, water and lime juice. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Step 4 Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Step 5 Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll each sheet out into a thin layer, about 1/8″.
- Step 6 Cut the dough into discs approximately 5 inches (I used a bowl) in diameter. Place approximately 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture in the center of each disc. Wet your fingers with water and dab it onto the perimeter of the disc (to help it stick). Fold the disc in half with the beef inside, and press the outside edges together to close it. Using a fork, press the edges of each empanada together. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Step 7 Place the empanadas on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Beat the egg yolk in a small bowl, and brush a light coating onto each empanada. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the dough turns a light golden brown. Serve warm or cold with your favorite salsa!
