Beef Empanadas Argentina Food

BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, scallions, and bell pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add ground beef, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin to the onion mixture. Cook and stir beef until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then cover and place in the refrigerator until meat is completely cooled, about 1 hour.
• Remove filling from the refrigerator and transfer into a colander to drain. Return filling to the Dutch oven.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Liberally grease a baking sheet with butter.
• Place about 2 tablespoons filling into the center of an empanada disc. Fold empanada in half into a crescent shape, press the edges of the dough together with a fork or your fingers to seal, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining empanadas and filling. Brush tops with egg white.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

ARGENTINIAN BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Set racks in upper and lower thirds of oven, and preheat to 450 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cook beef in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a small bowl with a slotted spoon, and pour off grease from skillet. Melt butter in skillet and saute onions and green onion, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Return beef to skillet and stir in hard-boiled eggs, olives, raisins, cumin, salt, and pepper. Transfer mixture to a shallow bowl and chill until cooled, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet, keeping remaining chilled, onto a lightly floured surface, dust lightly with flour, and roll out into a 12-inch square. Cut 4 (5 1/2-inch) rounds from pastry. Brush a 1/2-inch border around edges of 1 round with water, using a small brush or fingertip. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto half of round. Fold other half over filling and press edges together firmly. Crimp edges with a fork and transfer to one of prepared baking sheets. Repeat with 3 remaining rounds. Form 12 more empanadas in same manner with remaining pastry and filling, arranging them about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.
• Brush tops of empanadas with beaten egg. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

ARGENTINEAN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Sift the flour, mix the sifted flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Mix in the solid margarine or butter with your fingers, (best to cross cut with two knives). The flour should have an even, coarse texture, with the margarine lumps no larger than a pea.
• Beat together the water, eggs, and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly mix into the flour mixture, until you have the desired consistency (it should not be too sticky, but still malleable).
• Place the mixture on a floured surface. Knead with the heel of your hand to bring the dough together.
• Cover the dough and allow to sit in a cool place for at least an hour.
• Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch (0.3 cm) thick. Cut into circles about 4-6 inches (10 - 15 cm) in diameter and lightly flour them.
• Heat some oil in a large saucepan. Mince the onions and garlic, and add to the pan. Cook until the onions become translucent.
• Add the ground meat. Break it up with with a spoon and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Drain off fat.
• Mix in the cumin, pepper flakes, and sugar. Adjust to taste.
• Chop the hard boiled eggs and halve the stuffed olives. Carefully mix into the meat mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF/200ºC.
• Stuff the empanada dough wrappers. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Dampen the outer perimeter of the dough.
• Fold over, forming a semicircle. Pinch a corner of the dough, and then fold that section onto itself. Pinch and pull out another 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) section and fold over, so that it slightly overlaps the first piece. Repeat along the length of the folded side, until you create a braided or twisted seal.
• If desired, brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg yolk for a nice golden color.
• Place the folded empanadas on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

ARGENTINE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Mince the beef.
• In a medium-size frying pan, heat olive oil.
• Add the onion, bell pepper; Saute over medium heat until the onion starts to turn golden.
• Add the meat.
• Season to taste with salt, red pepper, and paprika.
• Saute, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned on all sides.
• Remove from heat; Mix in the egg, raisins, olives, and green onions. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• While the beef filling cools, pour the flour on a smooth surface, forming a mound.
• Using the back of a spoon, make a depression in the center.
• Add shortening in the depression. Mix and knead the ingredients until fully mixed.
• Dissolve the1/2 Tablespoon salt in warm water.
• Gradually incorporate this liquid into the dough, kneading 10-15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
• Make balls of dough about the size of a golf ball.
• On the floured surface, roll out each ball of dough into a 10-cm-diameter circle.
• Flour your hands. Hold the dough circle in one hand and place1 tbsp of the filling in the center. Press and crimp the edges together to secure the filling within.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.
• Arrange the empanadas on the sheet and bake until the pastry is golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.
• Serve with chimichurri sauce (see below).
• DIRECTIONS FOR CHIMICHURRI SAUCE: (2-1/2 cups).
• Roughly chop the tomato, bell pepper, and onions.
• Place the vegetable in a blender.
• Add the garlic cloves, olive oil, vinegar, and parsley.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Blend until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Transfer to a non-metal container. Cover and refrigerate.

EMPANADAS (BEEF TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• For the dough: Heat 1 cup water and lard together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the liquid is warm and the lard has melted. Meanwhile, mix together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Put paprika in well, then add a little of the warm liquid and stir with your fingertips to make a wet paste. Pour in remaining liquid while using your hand to work the flour into the liquid. Continue to work dry ingredients into wet ingredients with your hands to form a wet, oily dough. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until dough is chilled, about 2 hours.
• For the filling: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers, bouillon cube, paprika, red pepper flakes, white pepper, and cumin, and cook until onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add beef, season to taste with salt, and cook, stirring, until meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer filling to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Once filling has cooled, add potatoes, raisins, olives, scallions, and egg. Adjust seasonings. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400°. Tear off pieces of dough and, with your hands, roll into about 12 golf-size balls. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough balls on a lightly floured surface into 5'' circles. To assemble empanadas, place about 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold over and press the edges firmly to seal, starting from the middle and working out to the edges. Curve the ends of the empanada to form a crescent. To make the ''rope'' around edge, pinch 1/2'' of one corner edge between your thumb and index finger and fold edge over onto itself. Pinch and pull another 1/2'' of the edge and fold again, making a rough triangle over the first fold. Repeat this folding around edge, pressing each fold tight. Place empanadas on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.