Dinner TBD

Carolina's Empanadas

Beef empanadas from Argentina filled with olives, eggs, and a paprika-cumin seasoning.

Serving size: 20 empanadas

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp olive oil (for sautéing)
2 lbs ground beef
½-1 onion (chopped small)
1-2 bell peppers (red and/or green, chopped small)
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 hard-boiled eggs (optional, chopped small)
1 egg (for egg wash; whisk with 1 Tbsp water)
½-1 cups black olives (chopped)
cumin (palmful)
paprika (palmful)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 packs frozen empanada disks (6-inch, thawed; 10 disks per pack)

Method

1
Sautee the chopped onion & peppers in about 1-2 TBSP Olive oil until soft & season well with salt & pepper.
2
Increase the heat, add the ground beef and cook until browned. Or you can cook the beef in a separate skillet and add the veggies back in after the grease is drained.
3
Drain off any grease and return all to the skillet.
4
Season with salt, pepper, the optional tsp of sugar, paprika, & cumin. Add the olives
5
Stir & simmer over low heat for a few minutes until all is thoroughly cooked
6
Add the optional hard-boiled chopped eggs & stir gently.
7
Remove from heat and let cool enough to touch.
8
Distribute about 2-3 TBSP of the filling onto the center of the empanadas disks, brush around the edges with egg wash, fold over and seal with crimping technique or with a fork.
9
Place crimped empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet
10
Brush egg wash over the whole top of the empanadas which will brown them slightly while baking.
11
Bake at 375 for about 15-20 min.
12
Serve with salsa, avocado, or guacamole if desired.

Notes

This recipe comes from the Central region of Argentina and will make 20 6-inch Empanadas. The additional toppings may or may not be served with these in Argentina, but we like them with ours.