Empanadas Criollas Recipe 445

Steps:

• Dough: Place flour in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center and add salt, beef fat, egg and enough warm water to make the dough smooth but not sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours. Place the empanada dough on a lightly floured counter top. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a round 5 inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles. Filling: Heat the beef fat in a large pan. Add the onions and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Add paprika and cook for 5 minutes. Add ground beef, stirring and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add water (or beef broth) and cook for another 4 minutes and remove from heat. Add chili powder, cumin, green onions and eggs, mixing well. Cover and let rest until cool. To Assemble: Preheat oven to 350F. Place 2 tbsp filling in the lower half of each circle of dough. Brush the edges of the crust with water, then fold the tow ends together; press the edges together with fingers. Brush the top of the empanada with 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Combine beef, undrained corn, tomatoes, sweet potato, zucchini, pear, onion, bell pepper, chicken bouillon, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, paprika, cumin, and bay leaves in a slow cooker. Cook on High until beef is tender and vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 hours.
• Drain liquid and allow filling to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves.
• Scoop 3 tablespoons of cooled filling into the center of an empanada wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together to enclose the filling. Seal by crimping the edges or pressing them together with a fork. Repeat until all empanada wrappers are filled.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Without overcrowding, lower empanadas in batches into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain while you cook remaining batches.

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, sautée the onions in the oil and butter. (Using butter is important since once cold, it will make assembling the empanadas easier). Sprinkle the crushed cube of vegetable stock (This enhances flavour). Add in the meat. Cook until slightly coloured (it is not recommended to cook well meat well, since then, the empanadas will be baked or fried, so a double cooking process will make meat harder!)
• ncorporate the tomato sauce (this is optional, but I find this makes empanadas "juicier", Argentinians love it when their empanadas drip the meat/onions/tomato juice!; this is also why you don't have to skimp on the onions...) Cook for 2'. Add in all the spices, the olives and hard-boiled eggs. Refrigerate, preferably 24hs.
• In a bowl, put the flour, adding slowly the melted fat or butter. Incorporate this using a fork. Then, put the mixture on your table, making a mound with a well in the center. Start adding the salmuera, little by little, make a ball. The mixture should not be neither too dry not too sticky. If the last happens, rub your hands with flour, and keep on kneading as you would bread dough. Continue until the dough is smooth.
• Form a ball, and let the dough rest (cover with a towel) for 15'. On a floured table top, flatten the dough ball, with a rolling pin, until it is 3 mm wide. Then, cut 12cm wide circles, using a pastry ring mold or a tea saucer.
• Nowadays, in Argentina, people rarely make the dough themselves, since it can be bought, pre cut, in the right size, in any supermarket. If you want to avoid the hassle of making the dough yourself, you can buy pastry puff sheets and cut them into smaller disks of the right dimension...the flavour won't be the same, but it is a great time-saver!
• OK, a spoonful of the filling is on the pastry disk, seal them as you see in the photo
• Place the empanadas on a baking tray, brushed with sunflower oil. Bake them (200°C°) for 15/20' until golden brown.
• For extra brilliance and taste, you can brush the empanadas with egg yolk. Some people love sprinkling cassonade (brown) sugar on them! (My family adores that !!)