Carbonada Criolla Mini Empanadas Food

ARGENTINEAN-INSPIRED BEEF MINI EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Prepare filling: Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large, nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add olives, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in chopped eggs.
• Scrape mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, 1 to 2 hours; this ensures the dough will not be soggy when the empanadas are baked.
• Prepare dough: Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Whisk cold water, egg, and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour into the dry ingredients and blend with a fork. Use your hands to finish blending the ingredients until they come together in a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut circles, rerolling the scraps as necessary. I got about 18 circles.
• Hold each circle in your hand and place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Gently fold the ends over the top and press to seal all the way around. Reserve extra filling for another use.
• Set empanadas on a baking sheet. Press around the sealed edges with a fork if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on the bottoms, about 18 minutes. Flip and bake until the other side is browned, about 5 more minutes.

PLANTAIN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Cut plantain into 3 pieces with the peel left on.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add plantain pieces and boil until peel starts to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove plantains with a slotted spoon and allow to cool until easily handled. Peel and mash plantain in a bowl.
• Separate mashed plantain into 3 equal-sized balls, each the size of a golf ball. Wrap each ball with a piece of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch round. Unwrap and place 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese in the middle of each round. Fold over and pinch the edges together.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry stuffed plantains until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and fry on the other side until lightly browned, 2 to 3 more minutes. Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

CLASSIC EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until barely tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Once cool enough to handle, peel and cut into cubes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet and cook onion and spring onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add ground beef. Cook and stir until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Season with paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.
• Remove beef mixture from heat, add potatoes and olives, and mix well. Stir in chopped hard-boiled eggs and set filling aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease with olive oil.
• Place an empanada pastry round on a flat surface and lightly wet edges with warm water. Put a large tablespoon of cooled filling in the center and fold pastry over. Seal edges by pressing with a fork. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling. Transfer empanadas to the prepared baking sheets and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

BEEF EMPANADAS WITH OLIVES AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic in the hot oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, paprika, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.
• Mix hard-boiled eggs, olives, raisins, and parsley into the meat mixture.
• Using a spoon or your fingers, take a little of the ground beef mixture and place it in the middle of the dough discs. Fold the disc over and crimp the edges on both sides with the fork, leaving an indentation in the dough. Coat the outsides of the empanadas with egg yolk using a brush and place on a flat baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the shells are somewhat browned, 24 to 28 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying.