Meat empanadas are one of the most typical dishes of Argentina but globalization has made it an international dish. The mixture of the dough with the meat and the filling make it a very nutritious and rich dish. In addition, they have a great contrast of flavors due to the final touch that is given by sprinkling a pinch of powdered sugar. Genuine right? Well, below. We explain step by step how to make an exquisite meat empanada.
Ingredients to make Meat Empanadas:
For the mass:
• 4 cups of flour (560 grams)
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup of margarine (225 grams)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1¼ cups ice water
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the filling:
• 1½ cups diced onion
• 1½ cups of oil
• ½ kilogram of ground beef
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 pinch of paprika or paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground chili or to taste
• 3 units of boiled eggs in small pieces
• 6 units of chopped olives
• 1 unit of egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon of milk
• 0.1 kilogram of powdered sugar
How to make Meat Empanadas:
To make the meat empanada dough, first mix the flour, salt and baking powder with the butter and margarine. Knead the dough with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until it resembles oatmeal. Use your hands as little as possible. Gradually stir in the ice water to form a dough. Rest in the refrigerator until the next day or at least 3 hours.
To make the filling for the meat empanadas, you must follow these steps: fry the onion in the oil until transparent. Then add the minced meat seasoned with salt and pepper, paprika or paprika, mix well and cook until golden brown. Then remove the stuffing from the heat and let it cool down.
Stretch the dough with the rolling pin and cut discs of approximately 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter with a glass or cutter/die. This will be the size of the stewed meat empanada that we are going to make. Place a portion of the filling on each disk and place a piece of hard-boiled egg on it. If desired, a piece of olive is also placed on it. Moisten the edges of the minced meat empanada with water and fold the disk in half, covering the filling. Paste the edges by pressing with your fingers.
Place the filled empanadas in greased and floured tins. Mix the yolk with the milk and varnish them with this mixture. Bake the meat empanadas at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Be careful not to put too much as meat empanadas are rich when the saltiness of the meat is slightly mixed with the sweetness of the sugar.
