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Beef empanada

Indulge your taste buds with this mouthwatering recipe for beef empanadas, a type of pastry filled with savory or sweet ingredients popular in Latin American and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as in the Philippines.

Photos and Recipe Credit: Amaranth Foods

Every country in Latin America has their version of an empanada. Starting their migration in the Middle East, it was the Galicians who eventually brought empanadas – large square or rectangular hand pies made with yeasted dough and filled with tuna, whitefish, or chicken – to Latin America. Smaller now, the yeast was eventually dropped, and fillings changed depending on local spices and ingredients.

This recipe takes inspiration from Argentina and Chile, using a non-yeasted flaky dough and a beef filling, made with local grass-fed beef, potatoes, zante currants and red fife flour. These empanadas are great for freezing or packing in your child’s lunch box to warm up at school.

Beef empanada
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Beef Empanadas

Empanadas can be eaten at any time of the day and are generally seen as a snack. They should be eaten with your hands and are best right out of the oven, although they will be hot!

Ingredients

Ground Beef Filling

  • 2 tbsp beef tallow or olive oil
  • 1 white or yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp whole or ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium yellow, or red potato, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/3 cup dried currents, Sultana raisins or Thompson raisins
  • 1 pkg mixed olives, cut into slices

Slurry

  • 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
  • 2 tbsp water

Red Fife Dough

  • 4 cups Red Fife flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 14 tbsp cold butter, cubed
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup water

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Ground Beef

  • In a medium-sized pot on medium heat, heat the tallow or olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent, around 5 minutes.
  • Add the cumin, paprika and 1 tsp salt, then add the diced red peppers. Sauté for another 5 minutes and add the ground beef.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and break up the ground beef as it cooks with a wooden spoon.
  • Once the ground beef is partially cooked, add the potatoes, beef broth and remaining salt. Let this mixture simmer for 30 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally. If the liquid has reduced too much add some more water, if it has not reduced enough cook for another 5-10 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, the cubed potatoes and beef should be cooked, and the broth reduced by half. (For juicier empanadas, don’t reduce the liquid as much. The broth should reduce to about 1/2 an inch over the rest of the ingredients.)
  • Turn the heat off and add the currants. Make the arrowroot slurry, mixing until smooth, then stir into the ingredients in the pot.
  • Season to taste and set aside in the fridge to cool down. The filling may be stored in the fridge for up to 14 days.

Red Fife Dough

  • Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and mix with your hands, breaking up the butter into smaller pieces - the dough should begin to look shaggy.
  • In another bowl, whisk the two eggs and water until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in the eggs, slowly incorporating.
  • Once the dough has come together, transfer it to a floured work surface and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, or until it is smooth (do not overwork). Wrap the dough in a plastic bag or cling film and set in the fridge for 1 hour.

Making the Empanadas

  • Once both the dough and filling are made and cooled, it’s time to make empanadas. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Flour a work surface, divide the dough in half and roll it out to slightly less than 1⁄4 inch thick. Using a 5-in ring mold or bowl, dip the edge into some flour and punch out rounds from the rolled dough. Set them aside. Continue with the other half of the dough. Some scrap dough will be left behind; work the scraps together and re-roll until no more rounds can be made. These can be put in the fridge for up to three days or frozen for up to 6 months.
  • Set the circles of dough on the counter, and using your palms, spread out the dough slightly until it is nice and even (do not make it too thin). Add 2 tablespoons of filling to the centre of each empanada, and top with two olive slices.
  • Dip your finger into a bowl of water and trace around the outside of the dough. Fold the dough over onto itself, and press the edges together with your fingers, ensuring it is completely sealed. Then press a fork along the edge for an even better seal. Place finished empanadas on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the empanadas with the whisked egg wash and bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, put under a low broil for 3-4 minutes until the empanadas are a beautiful golden brown. Let them cool slightly before serving.

Notes

To make this recipe vegetarian, substitute the ground beef with your favourite variety of mushroom, roughly chopped.
Use olive oil instead of beef tallow and vegetable broth instead of beef broth.