Empanadas with Meat Filling

Empanada Dough 

Makes about 30 small empanadas 

1 egg 
2 TBS milk 
1/8 tsp. salt 
2 ¼ cups sifted flour 
1 ½ tsp. salt ½ cup cold butter – sliced 
1 TBS cider or white vinegar 1/3 cup ice cold water 

Place the egg and milk in a bowl and whisk it with a fork.  
Set aside. 

In a large bowl, add the sifted flour and the 1 ½ tsp. salt.  
Mix well.  

Add the butter and incorporate it into the flour, using your clean fingertips or a food processor.  
Mix until the flour is well incorporated and resembles bread crumbs. 

Add the egg mixture and stir with a fork or process in the food processor a few turns.

Add the vinegar and the water to the flour and stir with a fork or process in the food processor a few turns  

Mix to incorporate all the ingredients and get a shaggy dough.

Dump the dough on a clean, floured counter top. 

Carefully bring it all together – do not knead it – until you have a ball.  

Do not over‐work the dough at this point, you just want to bring the shaggy mass together into a rough ball, flatten slightly into a disc,

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for about 1 hour. 

After an hour, divide the dough in half and place it on a clean, floured counter top.  

Roll it out until you have about 1/8th inch thickness.  

Use a glass or round cookie cutter – any size you prefer – and cut the dough into rounds.  

Cover the rounds with plastic to keep them from drying out.

Reuse the left over dough until you have no more left over. 

The dough will be pliable and you can re-roll until it's all used.

Place your filling in the middle of your circle and fold. 

Make sure to press and crimp the edges so they stick together.  

You can press the crimped edges with a fork, or form a ‘rope’ by overlapping it. *

Brush them with an egg wash made of beaten eggs and a splash of water.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. 

Shaping Empanadas

The classic braided seal of an empanada is called repulge and here is a GREAT series on YouTube about how to shape empanadas like a professional.

Part 1 - Classic or Repulge Style

Part 2 - Frilled Style

Part 3 Pleated Style

Part 4 - Basket Style 1

Part 5 - Basket Style 2

Part 6 - Triangle Style

Part 7 - Hat Style

Part 8 - Simple Striped Style

One of my favorite fillings for an empanada is a beef filling with olives, capers, eggs, raisins and spices - it may sound unusual but it's very delicious!  

Beef Filling for Empanadas

Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut, corn, or canola oil

2 small yellow onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef, 85%/15% fat

1 pound minced rib eye of beef steak, trimmed of most fat 

1 envelope of Goya Sazón with Tomato and Coriander (or any flavor)

2-4 tablespoons capers, chopped

1/2 to 1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped, pitted black (or green) olives

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Make the Filling:

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. 

Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, until no trace of pink remains, about 3 minutes. 

Add the minced ribeye and cook briefly until just turning color.

Remove from heat.

Add the Goya Sazón, capers, raisins, olives and eggs and and stir well. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Set aside to cool before filling empanadas.

The filling is SO good, I even like any leftover filling spooned on rice!! YUM!