Beefy Basketball Empanadas Recipes

BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, scallions, and bell pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add ground beef, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin to the onion mixture. Cook and stir beef until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then cover and place in the refrigerator until meat is completely cooled, about 1 hour.
• Remove filling from the refrigerator and transfer into a colander to drain. Return filling to the Dutch oven.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Liberally grease a baking sheet with butter.
• Place about 2 tablespoons filling into the center of an empanada disc. Fold empanada in half into a crescent shape, press the edges of the dough together with a fork or your fingers to seal, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining empanadas and filling. Brush tops with egg white.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

BEEF EMPAñADAS

Steps:

• Cut each egg crosswise into 10 thin slices.
• Cook onion in olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
• Add raisins, olives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tomatoes with reserved juice, then cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced but mixture is still moist, about 5 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.
• Preheat oven to 200°F with rack in middle.
• Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a dampened work surface (to help keep plastic in place), then roll out an empanada disk on plastic wrap to measure about 6 inches. Place 3 tablespoons meat mixture on disk and top with 2 slices of egg. Moisten edges of disk with water and fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp with a fork. Make more empanadas in same manner.
• Heat 3/4 inch vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on thermometer. Fry empanadas, 2 or 3 at a time, turning once, until crisp and golden, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
• Transfer to a shallow baking pan and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 360°F between batches.

BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Put 2 cups boiling water, 4 ounces lard and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large mixing bowl. Stir to melt lard and dissolve salt. Cool to room temperature.
• Gradually stir in flour with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Knead for a minute or two on a floured board, until firm and smooth. Add more flour if sticky. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Make the filling: Season chopped beef generously with salt and pepper and set aside for 10 minutes. Melt 3 tablespoons lard in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and fry until nicely browned, stirring throughout to keep pieces separate, about 5 minutes.
• Turn heat down to medium and add onion and chorizo. Keep turning mixture with a spatula, as if cooking hash, until onion is softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, thyme and marjoram and stir well to incorporate. (Add a little more fat to pan if mixture seems dry.) Season again with salt and pepper and let mixture fry for 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato paste, pimentón and cayenne, then a cup of broth or water. Turn heat to simmer, stirring well to incorporate any caramelized bits.
• Cook for about 10 more minutes, until both meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce just coats them - juicy but not saucy is what you want. Taste and adjust seasoning for full flavor (intensity will diminish upon cooling). Stir in scallions and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Divide chilled dough into 1-ounce pieces and form into 2-inch diameter balls. Roll each piece into a 4 1/2-inch circle. Lay circles on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour.
• Moisten outer edge of each round with water. Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each round, adding a little chopped green olive and some hard-cooked egg to each. Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Fold edge back and finish by pinching little pleats or crimping with a fork.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place empanadas on parchment-lined or oiled baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Brush tops lightly with lard or butter and bake on top shelf of oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

BEEFY BASKETBALL EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Set a large skillet over medium high-heat with the oil. Once hot, add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon, cooking until no longer pink, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic, potatoes and season with salt, pepper, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions have softened, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the cilantro, tomato paste and Worchestershire sauce. Cook over low heat until the potatoes have softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Roll out the pie dough and cut out into 4-inch circles. Fill half of them with the cooled mixture, about 1 to 2 teaspoons, and then top with another pie circle. Crimp together with a form to seal and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and orange food coloring. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash.
• Reroll the scraps of dough and cut out into strips and place on top to form the lines of the basketball. Bake until golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Using the edible black pen, color the lines of the basketball before serving. Serve with chimichurri for dipping.

CHEESY GROUND BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• In a cast iron pan or large frying pan, add ground beef, chopped onions, minced garlic and cook over medium heat until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain grease and return to pan.
• Sprinkle with seasonings, stir.
• Add tomato sauce and jalapeños, stir and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Unroll pie crust on a lightly flour surface. Using a 4 inch bowl, turn bowl upside down and press down to cut dough. Should be able to get 4 pieces per pie crust.
• Add a little water to the edges of the dough before filling to help seal.
• Add a small amount of shredded cheese and about a 1/4 cup of meat mixture.
• Fold dough over and using a fork, close up the edges by pressing to seal and place on a baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, whisk egg and one tablespoon of water together. Using a basting brush, brush egg wash over the top of each empanada.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until empanada crust is golden brown.
• Carefully remove from oven and enjoy.