Description
This Beef Empanadas recipe features a flavorful blend of minced beef and chorizo with vibrant spices, encased in a homemade shortcrust pastry. These golden, crispy empanadas are perfect as appetizers or main dishes, reflecting traditional South American and Brazilian culinary influences. With a flaky dough and a juicy, well-seasoned filling, they make an impressive and delicious treat for family and guests.
Ingredients
Scale
Empanada shortcrust pastry
- 2 1/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 175 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup warm full fat milk
Empanada Filling
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 300 g beef mince (ground beef)
- 120 g chorizo
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 1/2 cup tomato passata
- 150 g potato, peeled, cut into 8 mm cubes (~1 cup)
- 1/3 cup green onion, finely sliced
Other
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1/4 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, separated (yolks whisked for sealing and brushing pastry)
Dipping Sauces
- Empanada sauce
- Ketchup
- Ketchup + sriracha
- Pink sauce
- Taco sauce
- Salsa dip
Instructions
- Blitz chorizo: Roughly chop chorizo into 1.5 cm pieces. Use a stick blender to blitz until it forms a paste, which melds well with the beef and enhances flavor.
- Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook finely chopped onion and minced garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant and softened.
- Cook meat: Add blitzed chorizo and cook for 2 minutes. Add beef mince and cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add spices and liquids: Stir in thyme, dried oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, chicken stock, tomato passata, and cubed potatoes. Mix well.
- Simmer filling: Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until filling is juicy but not watery and potatoes are cooked.
- Cool filling: Stir through finely sliced green onion. Transfer filling to a bowl and allow it to cool completely, about 2 hours, before assembling empanadas.
- Make dough: Whisk warm milk and egg yolk in a small jug. Pulse flour, salt, and cold butter in a food processor until butter resembles fine crumbs (largest lumps no bigger than peas). Add egg-milk mixture and blitz on low until dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, rub butter into flour by hand, mix in milk with wooden spoon, then knead to smooth dough.)
- Chill dough: Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and form into a smooth log approximately 20 cm long. Cut in half and flatten into 2 cm thick discs. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Cut pastry rounds: Roll one chilled dough disc on floured surface to 3 mm thickness. Cut 15 cm rounds (using a bowl or cutter). Keep rounds stacked with paper in fridge as you roll and cut remaining dough. Yield should be 10 or 11 rounds.
- Preheat oven: Set oven to 220°C (425°F), or 200°C fan forced.
- Assemble empanadas: Ensure filling is cold but spreadable. Place 3 tablespoons (55 g) of filling on top half of each pastry round, spreading in a half-moon shape, leaving a 1.5 cm border. Sprinkle chopped green olives and some chopped hard boiled egg over filling.
- Seal empanadas: Brush edges with egg white. Fold pastry over filling and press edges to seal, removing air. Optionally pleat edges, crimp with a fork, or leave plain.
- Bake empanadas: Place empanadas on two baking trays. Brush tops with whisked egg yolks. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the base.
- Serve: Serve hot with preferred dipping sauces such as homemade empanada sauce, ketchup, or salsa.
Notes
- Chorizo blitzing gives a paste-like consistency that blends better with beef and intensifies flavor more than chopping.
- For dough by hand, rub butter into flour, mix milk and egg yolk with a wooden spoon, then knead until smooth dough forms.
- Dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated; if very hard, let rest 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
- Empanadas are traditionally large in South America; smaller sizes are possible but preserve baking time.
- Filling should be cool but pliable to wrap without melting butter in pastry; if too hard, warm slightly before assembling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 empanada
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
