Beef Empanadas

Ingredients

• 500 g plain flour
• 150 g cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg for the dough, 1 for glazing
• 600 g beef mince
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 80 g green olives, chopped
• 6 spring onions, sliced
• 150 ml beef stock

Method

1. Make the dough

   Rub the butter into the flour with a teaspoon of salt, then bring together with 1 egg and about 120 ml cold water. Knead briefly, wrap and chill an hour. A short, sturdy pastry — puff would be wrong here.

   1 h

2. Onions in quantity

   Cook the onions slowly until completely soft and sweet. Empanada filling is roughly half onion by volume, and that is not a mistake.

   15 min

3. Brown the beef

   Add the mince and cook until well browned, breaking it up.

   10 min

4. Season and moisten

   Stir in the paprika, cumin, chilli and stock and simmer until the liquid has almost gone but the filling still looks moist. Argentine cooks often add a little more liquid than seems right, because it firms up when chilled and a dry filling makes a dull empanada.

   10 min

5. Chill the filling overnight

   Stir in the olives and spring onions and refrigerate until cold and firm. Warm filling melts the pastry and tears it as you fold. This is not an optional step.

   4 h

6. Fill and repulgue

   Cut 12 cm rounds, add a spoonful of filling, damp the edge, fold and seal. Crimp with the traditional twisted rope pinch, or press with a fork. Glaze with beaten egg and bake at 200°C for 22 minutes until deep gold.

   22 min