Argentinian Beef Empanadas

About This Recipe

Empanadas are Argentina's most popular street food and household staple, with recipes varying by province. The Mendoza style includes raisins and olives, while Tucumán empanadas are smaller and more delicate. The distinctive crimped rope edge (repulgue) is an art form — experienced cooks can identify fillings by the pattern of pleating.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gminced beef (not too lean)
• 2onions(finely diced)
• 2spring onions(sliced)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1/2 tspcayenne pepper
• 2hard-boiled eggs(chopped)
• 60 ggreen olives(pitted and sliced)
• 30 graisins
• 500 gplain flour
• 100 glard or butter
• 1 tspsalt
• 150 mlwarm water(approximate)
• 1egg(beaten, for egg wash)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Sauté onions in oil until golden. Add beef, breaking up with a spoon, cook until browned. Add spices, cook 1 minute. Season well. Cool completely, then fold in chopped eggs, olives and raisins.

   The filling must be completely cold before filling — warm filling makes the pastry soggy and hard to seal.

2. 2

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, salt and lard until breadcrumb texture. Add warm water gradually until a smooth, pliable dough forms. Knead 5 minutes. Rest 30 minutes covered.

3. 3

   Roll and fill

   Roll dough 3mm thick. Cut 12cm circles. Place 2 tbsp filling off-centre on each circle. Moisten edges with water.

4. 4

   Seal with repulgue

   Fold pastry over filling. Press edges firmly. To create the traditional rope edge: fold small sections of the edge over each other in overlapping pleats, pinching firmly.

5. 5

   Bake

   Brush with egg wash. Bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until deep golden.

Variations

• •

  Ham and cheese empanadas: fill with jamón and mozzarella.

• •

  Spinach and ricotta: a popular vegetarian filling.

Storage

Baked empanadas keep 4 days. Reheat at 180°C for 10 minutes. Raw empanadas freeze well for 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions