Empanadas de Argentina
Argentine empanadas are a common dish served at parties, as a starter or in festivals. Shops specialize in freshly-made empanadas for parties, with many flavors and fillings.
The filling usually consists primarily of ground beef, perhaps spiced with cumin, and onion, green olive, chopped boiled egg and even raisins. While empanadas are usually baked, they can also be fried. They may also contain cheese, ham and cheese, chicken, fish, humita (sweetcorn with white sauce) or spinach; a fruit filling is used to create a dessert empanada. Empanadas of the interior regions can be spiced with peppers.
In restaurants where several types are served, a repulgue, or pattern, is added to the pastry fold. These patterns, which can be quite elaborate, distinguish the filling. In modern restaurants in Argentina, adventurous new fillings are being tried, with the traditional recipe being reinvented by modern chefs.
In Argentina, due to the large number of Galician immigrants, the “empanada gallega” is very popular.
Argentinean Empanada Recipe
DOUGH
2 lbs flour
11 ounces high-quality beef fat
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon paprika
salt
FILLING
1 lb chuck
5 ounces beef fat
1 lb green onions
2 tomatoes
1 red pepper
2 carrots
2 hardboiled egg
1/4 lb seedless black raisins
1/4 lb green olives, pitted
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
salt
pepper
1. PREPARATION:.
2. Place the flour on the table forming a well; pour the lukewarm, melted beef fat in the middle, add the paprika, the salt, and gradually add the water as you mix the ingredients with your hands until you get a smooth ball.
3. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough no longer sticks to your hands, and let it rest in a warm place, covered with a cheesecloth, for 30 minutes.
4. Roll the dough with a rolling pin to 1/5-inch thickness and cut 4-inch discs with cutter. Sprinkle the disks with a little flour so that they do not stick to each other and set aside.
5. FILLING:.
6. Finely chop the green onion and fry it in the beef fat 5 minutes over medium heat.
7. Add the carrots, peeled and thinly sliced, the paprika, the tomatoes and the red pepper, both seeded and chopped. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.
8. Add the chuck, finely diced, the salt, the pepper and the cumin, and continue cooking for 5 minutes until meat is browned.
9. Remove from heat, add the pitted olives, the hardboiled eggs, chopped, and the raisins. Allow to chill in fridge.
10. MAKING THE EMPANADAS:.
11. Place two tablespoons of filling in the centre of each disk, moisten the edges with water at room temperature, fold one half of the disk over the other and press the edges together.
12. Fold the edge over itself by twisting it at regular intervals to form a cord [like you do with calzones sometimes] and make sure the filling does not come out.
13. Place the empanadas on a greased cookie sheet, brush them with a beaten egg, and bake in hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden.