Inspired by the recent empanadas class, we set out to create our own empanadas. I use the word we very loosely in this context as it was really ML doing all the cooking and me hovering around the kitchen. Surprisingly we remembered most of the recipe (had to look up a few minor things) and they came out delicious as well.

The dough:

In a large glass bowl, beat an egg and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Slowly mix in 3 cups of all purpose flour (whole wheat if you like), 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of butter/shortening to create the dough (a pastry blender works well for this purpose). Once the flour is mixed, kneed the dough on a lightly floured surface such as your kitchen counter top (after its been cleaned). Wrap this in plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator until we are done making the filling. You can also freeze it at this point if you are not planning to use it all.

The filling:

Heat a 12″ skillet with some olive oil. Finely chop a medium white onion and toss it into the skillet with a pinch of salt (this accelerates the cooking time for the onions and helps them become transparent). Add in 1 red bell pepper chopped into small pieces. Toss in 1 lb of ground beef stirring often to break up the meat in the skillet. Add about a 2 tablespoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the beef has been cooked all the way through.

The tapas:

Taking small 1/2″ spheres from the dough, flatten them out into circles using a rolling pin on the same surface you were using before. Add more flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface and your hands. Getting them into respectable circles takes a bit of practice but they don’t have to be perfect.

Scoop up enough of the filling and place on one side of the circle.  Gently fold the other half of the circle over the filling and using wet fingers seal the dough shut. You want to use the right amount of filling here so that the empanadas are meaty and not doughy and at the same time not too much where it becomes difficult to enclose inside the dough. You can use the tip of the fork to create small cuts at the sealed edges of the semi circle to create a pattern. Repeat this until you’ve used up all the filling or dough – whichever happens to be the limited factor.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Carefully place the stuffed tapas in a baking tray and brush them with some egg white – this gives them a glisten when cooked.  Place the tray in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

The aji:

To accompany the empanadas we made a spicy Colombian dipping sauce called aji. In a blender, add one large tomato (halved), 1 cup of green onions, 1/2 cup of cilantro, a 1/4 cup of vinegar and a pinch of salt. Add in some green chillies or Tobasco sauce to your desired spice level. Squeeze in 1 lemon and mix. Add more salt to taste.

Recommended wine pairing: Malbec or Torrontes.