Being exposed to cuisine from various Latin American countries present in Atlanta,I have had the opportunity to try empanadas from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Empanadas are individual sized meat pies and are also known in the Caribbean as “patties”. This is a spicy variety and can be flavored from mild to very hot.
Each country has different preparation techniques and fillings, but I have to admit that I really liked the homemade empanadas shared at work this week by Julio, my Chilean colleague. He was so kind to share his family recipe, which I translated from Spanish into English.
~~~ Buen provecho! ~~~Enjoy! ~~~
INGREDIENTS:
Stuffing: (should be prepared 1 day ahead)
1/2 kilogram of ground beef
3 large onions
1 beef boulion cube (6grs)
1 to 3 tbsp flour
paprika
1/8 oil
white pepper, salt, cumin, oregano
1 egg (for basting)
3 hard-boiled eggs (sliced)
21 olives (optional)
40 raisins (optional)
PREPARATION OF FILLING:
Fry the ground beef in the oil. Boil the onions in water and a spoonful of sugar. Once the water boils drain the water and add the onions to the meat along with the spices (salt, cumin, oregano, white pepper, paprika to flavor). Dissolve beef cube in 1 cup of water and add to the mixture. The meat should not be cooked too long, since it finishes cooking in the oven. Remove from the heat, to add flour (1 to 3 tbsp, to thicken). Turnover well and let if cool off.
Dough:
1 kilogram flour
5 egg yolks
250 grams margarine
3 tsp salt
½ litre milk
1 tbsp vinegar
PREPARATION OF DOUGH:
Mix the flour in a bowl along with the salt. Make a hole in the center (like a vulcan) and add the yolks, melted margarine and tepid milk, forming a soft mixture. Once the dough is smooth, add the vinegar. Cut the dough in 18 parts (size of a tennis ball), press each part flat to the size of a plate (2-3 millimeters thick). Fill with a spoonful of the filling, 2 raisins (optional), 1 olive and 1 slice of the hardboiled egg, moisten half of the edge of the dough with tepid water, fold over, puncture the sides with a fork and baste the empanada with (beaten) egg for gold coloring. Bake in a hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the oven), until the empanadas are gold toned.
Tip: While preparing the patties, keep the dough in a warm room without dry airflow so it will not turn dry and hard.
I love empanadas, this recipe it’s great. I usually make the dough with a little white wine.
Adding white wine is a great idea Stephanie, thanks for the tip. I’ll be sure to try that next time!
Btw, I like the recipes on your site too.
Hey Your recipe looks great.
I just wanted to know… When you are done baking the empanadas, is the dough part fairly soft or is it hard and crispy.
If its crispy, do u know what i could put in the dough to make the end result a little softer. =D
thank you for your help
Hi Nikita,
Usually the dough is fairly soft, but to keep it from keep from getting too dry, you could shorten the bake time, or brush some water on the empanadas.
Thanks for your comment!
How do you make the empanada crispy?
Hello Elvira,
You can make the dough crispy by brushing some water on the empanadas about 7-10 minutes before the end of the baking time. Instead of water you could also use beaten eggs.
Thanks Debbie. what if it is fried empanadas?
Frying would probably make the empanadas crispy, but it would also absorb a lot of the oil and make your empanadas greasy. Because of the moist filling, it may be difficult to get the empanada crust very crispy, unless you used something like phyllo dough. Why don’t you experiment with it and share your findings with us? Thanks!
Wonderufl blog, souinds like our vleespasteitjes or vleesbroodjes
I am preparing a recipe for my web site if you are interested, hope to finish by the end of the week.
Hi Joeneke,
Thanks for your comment. I agree, empanadas are almost like vleespasteitjes or vleesbroodjes. I got to enjoy some in Holland last May! Can’t wait to see your recipe as I do miss those.
Are you Dutch by any chance?
I’m surprised there was not any merquen in the dough. But, as you said, it was a family recipe. I think a slight pinch of merquen gives it a little kick that tastes really good on the tongue. My husband’s family likes to put a little pisco in the dough too. I don’t do it, rather save the pisco for sours served with the empanada. No complaints there! We omit the raisin as none of us like them hot and sweet in our empanadas. This recipe sounds really good. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of letting the pino (filling) rest overnight. The resting allows the onion juices and meat to mingle and marry and become something so much more wonderful than a fresh made version. It is a very important step that should not be skipped. I am thankful for your blog.
Thanks for the tip Valorie, resting the pino overnight is a good idea!
how can u keep the cooked empanadas crispy overnight? i would like to make them and refrigerate them n still keep them crunchy? is this possible the next day if reheated under sternos?
When the empanadas are refrigerated they will loose their crispness. The best way to get them crispy again, is by reheating them in the oven. You may even want to freeze them for best results.
Sternos or chafing dishes will not have the same effect.