Argentina is famous for its vibrant and flavoursome street food and nothing is so popular as the classic empanada. Add a little sizzle and spice to your next party, picnic or simple office lunch with this delicious argentinian empanadas recipe from the new cookbook Argentinian Street Food by Enrique Zanoni and Gaston Stivelmaher.
Classico Argentino Meat Empanadas
(makes 20 empanadas)
Ingredients:
Dough
1 quantity of classic dough
Filling
2 onions, sliced
1 red capsicum (pepper), sliced
Sunflower oil
Salt, black pepper
500g minced (ground) beef
1 tablespoon aji molido (see note below) or 2 teaspoons of chilli flakes
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 spring onions (scallions), green part only, chopped
Glaze
3 egg yolks, beaten
Method:
Filling:
Sauté the onion and capsicum in a saucepan with a little oil over low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the vegetables from the saucepan and set aside.
To the same saucepan, add a little more oil and sauté the meat over high heat. Once the meat has browned, reduce heat to low and add the onion and capsicum. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Stir in the aji molido, if using, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon and mix well.
Let the filling rest for 24 hours in the refridgerator, if possible, for a more intense flavour.
Stir the spring onion into the mixture before assembling the empanadas.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 190C. Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3mm, and cut out circles with a 14cm cutter. Using a 60ml ice-cream scoop or measuring cup, form small balls of filling and place one on each round of dough. Lightly moisten the edge of the dough with a little water and fold over into a half-moon shape. Seal the edges and give them the ‘carne’ decoration or an edging of your choice. Set aside in the refridgerator if not cooking immediately.
Cooking:
Arrange the empanadas on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Aji Molido: A very common condiment in Argentinian cuisine, made from dried capsicum flakes. It can be found in Argentinian grocery stores.
