"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”– Lao Tzu

Empanadas are an Argentian & Chilean filled pastry. They can be filled with meat, seafood, cheese or vegetables.

This is a staple of southern South America and you will see them in street stalls everywhere, as well as most restaurants. While there are many variations, the most popular seem to be beef with onions and ham and cheese (jamon y queso). They are very similar to the English pasty.

Makes 12 Empanadas

Ingredients

For the beef filling:
1 pound of lean ground beef/mince (500 grams)
1 pound of chopped onions (500 grams)
2 Tsp of butter
2 Tsp of corn oil
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of chopped green olives
2 hard boiled eggs
4 chopped spring onions, only the green part
2 1/2 of aji molido (ground red dry spicy peppers)
1/2 Tsp sweet and hot paprika
2 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper to Taste

For the empanada dough:
1 pound all purpose flour (500 grams)
2 ounces of melted butter (50 grams) (lard would be better)
320 ml of salmuera – salmuera is the mixture of 320 ml of hot water with one table spoon of salt left to be cooled

Method

For the beef filling:
Heat the corn oil with the butter in a large frying pan with a heavy bottom. Sauteed the onion until they are transparent. Add the ground beef and cook over medium high heat, stirring often. Add the raising. Season with salt and pepper. Add spices, and pour in 1/4 cup of hot water and let the filling boil for a couple of minutes. Once the beef is cooked, put into a bowl and keep in the refrigerator overnight (or cool if you are making it the same day).

For the empanada dough:
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and mix with all ingredients together forming a dough and let it rest for half an hour. Make small balls after you let it rest and roll them into round shapes or use a large-mouth jar of 4″ diameter to cut them. Fold over and press with fingers to seal. An alternative to sealing with your fingers, you can seal by pressing the tines of a fork along the edges of the dough. Carefully place each empanada on a cookie sheet/baking tray to bake.

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