Empanadas are one of the native dishes of Argentina and there is a whole variety of them. Within this variety, without a doubt, the empanadas from Salta have earned a privileged place. So much so, that this dish has its own anniversary, the Empanada Salteña Day, which has been celebrated every April 4 since 2003, which has made it a symbol of the Salta region.
There is not a single recipe for empanada salteña because each family has its own. The fans are divided between the fried ones and the baked ones, those who put potatoes and those who don’t or those who add minced chives at the end or not. What they all agree on is that it has a lot of fat. Dare to experiment with this preparation and enjoy this typical Argentine flavor. Discover how to make Argentine salteña empanadas and don’t forget to leave your comment with your version.
Ingredients to make Empanadas salteñas:
For the mass:
- 250 grams of common flour
- 50 grams of Pella fat or melted butter
- 100 milliliters of warm water
- ½ teaspoon of salt
For the filling:
- 250 grams of onion
- ¼ red bell pepper
- 500 grams of meat
- 200 grams of potatoes
- 60 grams of beef fat
- 1 handful of fresh parsley
- 1 boiled egg
- 1 dessert spoon of ground red paprika
- 1 dessert spoon of cumin
- 1 dessert spoon of white pepper
- 1 pinch of salt to taste
- 4 sprigs of chives
How to make empanadas salteñas:
The recipe begins with the filling of the empanada salteña. To do this, in the very hot fat, fry all the chopped onion. When it begins to brown, add the chopped paprika and mix.
Tip: If you don’t want to use animal fat, you can use vegetable oil.
After 5 minutes or when the onion crystallizes, add the spices: ground red paprika, white pepper and cumin. Stir and add the meat cut into small squares. Mix and let the meat cook with the cooking juices over low heat. Do not add water unless the filling is very dry, as it could take away the flavor of the empanadas salteñas. When the meat is cooked and the flavors are integrated, add the potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes. Stir well and cover again. Let it cook all the way through, stirring regularly, until the potato is tender. At this point, remove the stuffing from the heat and allow it to cool.
Tip: to get some juicy empanadas salteñas, allow the meat to release all its juice by cooking it over medium heat.
While the stew finishes cooking and cools, it is time to make the dough for empanadas salteñas. So, in a container place all the ingredients.
Trick: it is recommended that the fat is about to ointment.
Mix until all the ingredients of the dough are integrated with the help of a spatula. Getting an integrated dough can take about 5 minutes. Place the dough on the work table and knead until it is elastic, homogeneous and smooth. Make a ball, put it back in the container, cover it with a clean cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. After that time, add the boiled and chopped egg to the stew and mix. Add the finely chopped chives and continue mixing.
Once the empanada salteña dough is ready, roll it out with a rolling pin and cut circles the size of your hand, approximately. Place a teaspoon of stew on each lid as shown in the photo, leaving about 1 cm of empty edge.
Tip: preheat the oven to 250 ºC
Fold the empanadas salteñas in half and seal the edge by forming the traditional folds with your fingers. Press to close first, then shape the ornament by folding the edge to one side.
Tip: the original empanadas from Salta are made in a charcoal oven, which contributes to giving them the characteristic burnt blisters in the dough. However, they can be made in other types of ovens, but it is more difficult to make them look the same.
Bake the empanadas salteñas at 200 °C until golden brown. Depending on the power of your oven, it may take more or less, but it will take around 15-20 minutes.
Tip: the original empanadas from Salta are made in a charcoal oven, which contributes to giving them the characteristic burnt blisters in the dough. However, they can be made in other types of ovens, but it is more difficult to make them look the same.
You can now serve your Argentine salteña empanadas!
Tips for making fried empanadas salteñas
Although we have chosen to prepare baked empanadas salteñas in order to obtain a healthier empanada, remember that you can also cook fried empanadas salteñas. In fact, this way you will have juicier empanadas salteñas due to the amount of fat. To make them, we recommend you heat plenty of oil and follow these steps:
- When the oil is very hot, add empanadas in small batches to prevent them from sticking together.
- Turn them over if they are not completely covered by the oil so they brown evenly on all sides.
- Remove them and reserve them on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
You will see that the result with this cooking method is juicy and delicious salteña empanadas.
