Beef Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce
As we’re moving into the last few weeks of winter (thank goodness) everyone around me seems to be getting sick, and last week I was no exception. Oh my, I was completely out of it. Bed ridden and full of chicken soup. My apologies for not posting last week, I was absolutely knocked for six.
This week I decided to make some empanadas. Earlier this year we were invited to a friend’s Argentinian themed party where they had an amazing selection of traditional food. Amongst these local treats were delicious beef empanadas served with a chimichurri sauce. This was all brand new to me, and they were so good I couldn’t stop eating them. Unfortunately this was a while ago now, when the days were long and warm, so I thought I’d make something that reminded me of these summery days. I made these from a friend’s amazing retro Time Life cook book that I borrowed recently. I tweaked the recipe a little and served them with a fresh, green, zesty chimichurri sauce. Now the sun is starting to come back out, they’ll make a perfect starter for your next BBQ shindig.
Mmm.
x e.
Beef Empanadas
From Latin American Cooking by Jonathan Norton Leonard
1 onion, finely chopped
good quality olive oil
1/4 cup water
500g mince beef
1/4 cup currants
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
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1 1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter into small cubes
1 tsp salt
1/3 chilled water
1 egg
1 tbsp white vinegar
1. To prepare the filling: into a small bowl, add currants and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 10 and drain. Heat olive oil in a frypan and add onions and water and let cook until water has evaporated. Add meat and cook, stirring continuously until the meat has browned on all sides.
2. Add raisins, chilli, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and stir through thoroughly. Set the filling aside and let cool.
3. Meanwhile to make the pastry, add flour and butter into food processor and pulse until it resembles powdered breadcrumbs.
4. In a separate bowl, add egg, chilled water and vinegar. Add to flour mixture and pulse lightly to combine. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured workbench and knead until the mixture just comes together. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Once pastry has chilled, roll out the pastry to a few millimeter thick and cut out the pastry into 15cm diameter circles. If you don’t have a large enough cutter, use a saucer and cut around with a knife. Add a small amount of mixture to the center of the circle, wet the sides with some water and fold over and press down all sides. Start from the left and pinch the pastry down and fold over. Pinch the last section you just folded over and continue. (Check out my instagram video to see how to shape the edges.) Shape the pastry into a crescent shape and place on a baking tray. Continue with the rest of the mixture and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
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Chimichurri Sauce
1 cup parsley (packed)
1/4 cup coriander (packed)
4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt pepper
1. Add all ingredients into the food processor and blitz until smooth. Keeps for a week in an air tight container.
