Argentine recipe
How to make Empanadas
The whole country; every region has its own style
Half-moon pastries with a savoury filling, baked or fried and eaten with your hands. In Salta they are small, juicy and spicy, with potato; in Tucumán they are often made with beef cut by knife; in La Rioja the filling can include egg, olives and raisins. Each filling has its own pattern of folds on the edge, the repulgue.
Ingredients
- 12 ready-made empanada pastry discs (tapas para empanadas), about 12 cm across
- 400 g beef mince or finely chopped beef
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika and 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped, and a handful of green olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and 1 beaten egg to glaze
Method
- Fry the onions and pepper in the oil over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft.
- Add the beef, paprika, cumin, chilli and salt and cook, stirring, until the meat is browned all through. Stir in the spring onions and let the filling cool completely.
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle of each disc, add some chopped egg and olive, and brush the edge with water.
- Fold the disc in half and press the edges together, then fold or twist the edge over itself to seal it.
- Put the empanadas on a lined tray, brush with beaten egg and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Let them cool for a few minutes: the filling is very hot.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
Tucumán province holds a National Empanada Festival every year in the town of Famaillá.
Take the trip to Argentina
