Description
These Beef Empanadas feature a flavorful filling of ground beef, chorizo, aromatic spices, and tender potatoes encased in a buttery empanada shortcrust pastry. Perfectly baked to a golden crisp, they make an ideal appetizer or main course with a rich South American flair.
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 ground 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 (cooked for 9 minutes)
- 1/4 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, separated, yolks whisked (for sealing and brushing pastry)
Dipping Sauces:
- Empanada sauce
- Optional: ketchup, ketchup with sriracha, pink sauce, taco sauce, salsa dip
Instructions
- Prepare the Filling: Roughly chop chorizo into 1.5 cm pieces and blitz in a stick blender to form a paste. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until softened. Add chorizo and cook for 2 minutes, then add beef and cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add fresh thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, chicken stock, tomato passata, and diced potatoes. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and gently cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the filling is juicy but not watery and potatoes are cooked through. Stir in green onion, transfer to a bowl, and cool completely for about 2 hours.
- Make the Dough: Whisk the warm milk and egg yolk together. Pulse the flour, salt, and cold butter cubes in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine crumbs with pea-sized lumps. Add the egg-milk mixture and pulse on low speed until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, rub butter into flour by hand, mix in milk and egg yolk, then knead until smooth. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, shape into a log about 20 cm long, cut in half, and flatten each half into 2 cm thick discs. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Roll and Cut Pastry Circles: Take one chilled dough disc and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm thickness. Cut 15 cm rounds using a bowl or cutter. Stack the rounds with parchment paper in between and keep refrigerated while cutting remaining dough to get about 10 to 11 rounds.
- Assemble Empanadas: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F, 200°C fan). Ensure the filling is cold but spreadable. Place 3 tablespoons (about 55 g) of filling on one half of each pastry round, spreading it into a half-moon shape leaving a 1.5 cm border. Sprinkle chopped green olives and finely chopped hard-boiled egg over the filling. Brush the edges with egg white, fold the pastry over to enclose the filling, and seal by pressing out the air. Optionally pleat the edges or crimp with a fork.
- Bake: Place empanadas on two baking trays. Brush tops with whisked egg yolk. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and the bases are crispy. Remove from oven and serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces, ideally the homemade Empanada Sauce.
Notes
- Blitzing the chorizo creates a paste that melds perfectly with the beef for a flavorful filling better than chopping.
- If making the dough by hand, rub butter into the flour and mix in milk and egg with a wooden spoon before kneading.
- The dough can be prepared up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge, but allow it to soften for 30 minutes before rolling.
- Empanadas are traditionally large; 15 cm diameter rounds yield authentic South American size, but smaller sizes can be used with the same bake time.
- If the filling is too cold and stiff, warm slightly to make it spreadable but keep cold enough to avoid melting the butter in the pastry.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 empanada
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
