Classic Empanadas Recipes

BASIC EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, cook meat until no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add onion and jalapenos; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and tomatoes. Cook over medium until mixture has thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in cilantro. Let cool.
• Make the dough: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add just enough cold water so dough comes together.
• Form empanadas. If desired, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, 2 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic; freeze in plastic bags.
• To bake fresh or frozen empanadas, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with egg wash, avoiding crimped edges. Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 30 to 40 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.

FOOTBALL FEST EMPANADAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the salsa, corn, jalapenos, 2 tablespoons cilantro and lime juice. In another bowl, combine the chicken, remaining cilantro and 1/2 cup salsa mixture; set aside. Reserve remaining salsa for serving., Unroll a pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured 4-in. round cookie cutter placed halfway on edge of pastry, cut 4x3-in. football shapes. Repeat with remaining dough, chilling and rerolling scraps as needed., Transfer half of the cutouts to greased baking sheets. Place 1 tablespoon chicken mixture in the center of each; top each with 1-1/2 teaspoons cheese. Brush edges of pastry with egg. Top with remaining cutouts; press edges with a fork to seal. Cut slits in the tops to resemble football laces. Brush tops with egg., Bake at 450° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with reserved salsa mixture. Refrigerate leftovers. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pastries in a freezer container, separating layers with waxed paper. To use, reheat pastries on a greased baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven until crisp and heated through.

CLASSIC EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until barely tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Once cool enough to handle, peel and cut into cubes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet and cook onion and spring onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add ground beef. Cook and stir until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Season with paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.
• Remove beef mixture from heat, add potatoes and olives, and mix well. Stir in chopped hard-boiled eggs and set filling aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease with olive oil.
• Place an empanada pastry round on a flat surface and lightly wet edges with warm water. Put a large tablespoon of cooled filling in the center and fold pastry over. Seal edges by pressing with a fork. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling. Transfer empanadas to the prepared baking sheets and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

SPANISH BEEF EMPANADAS RECIPE

Steps:

• For the dough, mix the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl with your hands until you get a homogeneous dough.
• In a different large bowl, beat the egg, water, and vinegar with a fork and add to the flour dough.
• Knead the mixture on a clean surface covered with a little bit of flour until you get a rustic dough and set aside covered in the fridge for one hour.
• For the filling, start by cutting the hard-boiled eggs into thin slices. In a saucepan over low heat cook the onion in the oil and until golden brown, then add the garlic and oregano, mix it for 1 minute.
• Then add the ground beef and cook for 5-10 minutes until the meat is cooked. Add the raisins, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and tomato sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C or 390°F and spread some oil on a large baking sheet to prevent the empanadas from sticking. If you are frying them then put oil in a large frying pan at medium heat.
• Take the dough from the empanadas and roll it with the help of a rolling pin to form a rectangular sheet type of shape. Then using a cookie cutter or a cup cut circles to make the empanadas.
• Take the circle and fill with 2 tablespoons of the ground beef filling, then fold the dough over and mark the edges with a fork to close the empanadas.
• Bake the empanadas in the oven for 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. If you are going to fry them, place them in the pan with hot oil (don't overcrowd it) and cook for about 4 minutes each.