Description
These Brazilian-inspired Beef Empanadas feature a flaky shortcrust pastry filled with a savory mixture of ground beef, chorizo, potatoes, and aromatic spices. Perfectly baked until golden and crispy, they make an ideal appetizer or main course served with a tangy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Empanada Shortcrust Pastry
- 2 1/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 175 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup warm full fat milk
Empanada Filling
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 300 g ground beef
- 120 g chorizo
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 cup tomato passata
- 150 g potato, peeled and cut into 8 mm cubes (~1 cup)
- 1/3 cup green onion, finely sliced
Other
- 2 hard boiled eggs (cooked for 9 minutes)
- 1/4 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, separated (whisk yolks for sealing and brushing pastry)
Dipping Sauces
- Empanada sauce
- Ketchup
- Ketchup mixed with sriracha
- Pink sauce
- Taco sauce
- Salsa dip
Instructions
- Prepare filling: Roughly chop chorizo into 1.5 cm pieces and blitz with a stick blender until it forms a paste to enhance flavor distribution.
- Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook onion and garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant and softened.
- Cook meats and spices: Add chorizo paste and cook for 2 minutes, then add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste and cook another minute. Add thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, chicken stock, tomato passata, and potato cubes. Stir to combine.
- Simmer filling: Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender and the filling is juicy but not watery.
- Cool filling: Stir through green onions. Transfer filling to a bowl and cool completely, about 2 hours, before assembling.
- Make pastry dough: Whisk warm milk and egg yolk together. Pulse flour, salt, and cold butter in a food processor until mixture resembles fine crumbs with pea-sized lumps. Add milk-egg mixture and pulse until dough forms a ball. (Alternatively, rub butter into flour by hand, then mix in milk and knead until smooth.)
- Chill dough: Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, form into an 8 inch log, cut in half, and shape each into 0.8 inch thick round discs. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Roll and cut pastry rounds: On a floured surface, roll one dough disc to 3 mm thickness. Cut 6 inch rounds using a bowl or cutter. Stack cut rounds on paper and keep chilled while working to make about 10 to 11 rounds.
- Preheat oven: Set oven to 220°C (425°F) or 200°C (fan).
- Assemble empanadas: With filling cold but spreadable, place about 3 tablespoons (55 g) of filling onto half of each pastry round, leaving 1.5 cm border. Sprinkle chopped olives and pieces of hard boiled egg over filling. Brush pastry edges with egg white, fold over, press to seal and remove air pockets. Optionally create pleats or crimp edges with fork.
- Bake: Arrange empanadas on two baking trays. Brush tops with egg yolk. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp on the base.
- Serve: Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces such as homemade empanada sauce, ketchup, or salsa.
Notes
- Blitzing chorizo helps meld flavors into the filling better than chopping.
- If making dough by hand, rub butter into flour and mix in milk before kneading smooth.
- Dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored chilled, but allow 30 minutes outside fridge to soften before rolling.
- Empanadas are traditionally large; using 6 inch rounds yields about 10 to 11 empanadas.
- If filling is too cold and hard, let it come to room temperature to ease wrapping but keep it cool to avoid melting butter in the pastry.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 empanada
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 340 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
