empanadas

Beef Empanadas

For a roasted sirloin (1 day before):
3-4 pound sirloin roast
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 ½ cups red wine
Salt to taste but I use about 2 tablespoons
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook over low to medium low heat (200-250 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 8 hours. Remove the meat and rest on cutting board until cool (up to an hour). Pull meat apart using two forks and working away from each other. Cover in container and refrigerate overnight.
For the liquid remaining in the crock pot, strain and discard the solids and use the liquid in any recipe that calls for beef broth. We need about ¾ cup for the empanada filling. It can be frozen in an airtight container for at least a month or 2 (perhaps longer but that’s as long as I ever have).
For the filling:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 ¼ cups beef broth
Pulled beef from day before
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the oil, onions and salt and begin to sweat. Do not brown. Once soft and just becoming translucent (about 4-5 minutes), add the next 6 ingredients. After the tomato paste and spices combine and become aromatic (3-4 minutes), add the broth and pulled beef. Simmer over low heat until the broth is reduced and the mixture is thickened (about 10 minutes). Add broth, if needed, to desired consistency. Remove from heat and let cool an hour before making the empanadas.
To put these empanadas together:
Empanada dough (such as this one)
Beef filling
Chopped green olives with pimento (enough for a few slices per empanada)
Enough peanut oil to fill a large pot or deep fryer about 1/3 full (about 8 cups for me)
2 cups sour cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
The recipe I used made dough for about 15 empanadas. I had meat for about another 15 so I suggest doubling the dough recipe I used.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8th inch thick. Cut into about 6-inch rounds (don’t get hung up on exactly 6 inches; I used a stainless steel bowl that I guessed was about 6 inches in diameter but I could be off a bit). Using a floured surface to keep from sticking, add about 2 tablespoons of the beef mix to the center of each dough circle as well as a few slices of olive. Fold into a half moon shape. The edges should be crimped down with a fork using a rocking motion on the work surface. This will give you greater control so as not to penetrate the dough. This is both aesthetic and functional. It seals the half circle and makes for an attractive presentation.
Bring a pot of oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, get one -they are super cheap and oil temperature is crucial in most frying recipes). Add the empanadas in batches (only add as many as can float freely in the size vessel you are cooking in) and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly salt immediately. Continue to work in batches until finished. Empanadas can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven while waiting for the rest to finish.
Combine the sour cream, green onion, salt and pepper in a bowl and reserve as dip for empanadas.
I serve these family style on a platter with the green onion sour cream on the side. Depending on the exact size of your rounds, you should get 25-35 individual empanadas.


The Daily Loaf (2009) The perfect beef empanadas. Retrieved on October 30, from http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/03/10/perfect-beef-empanadas/