Empanadas de Pino

Slofoodgroup Team August 31, 2022

Chilean Empanadas de Pino

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry, baked or fried. Although it originated in medieval Iberia (Spain and Portugal), nowadays it is a food staple of Latin America. Using a shortcrust pastry and a spiced meat filling, these portable pies make a great snack or appetizer to share.

We like to make our dough from scratch because it is easy and foolproof. We choose to use lard as the fattening agent, as it has a distinctive aroma and it gives the dough a flakier texture. The real secret in making flaky pastry, though, is to add a touch of acidity, in the case of this recipe, a bit of white wine. A small amount of acidity in short crusts inhibits gluten formation, creating a tender, melt-in-your-mouth, flaky result.

Chilean Beef Empanadas

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick lard (or butter), at room temperature
• 3 tablespoon white wine
• 1/4 cup water
• Warm water

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 1 pound beef chuck, cut in small cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of chile pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Coarse sea salt to taste
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• Handful of raisins
• 1/2 cup black olives, pit removed and sliced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters
• 1 egg 

Procedure

1. Start by making the empanada dough. To a bowl, add the flour, salt, and lard and mix until a crumbly dough is formed. Add the white wine in and gradually incorporate the water until a soft but not sticky dough is formed. Cover and allow to rest until ready to use.

2. Preheat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the vegetable oil and cook the onions until translucent. Increase the heat to medium, add the beef cubes, and cook until the beef is lightly browned. Add the spices in and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the beef stock, cover, and cook until the beef is tender. Once done, remove from heat and allow to cool down completely.

3. Meanwhile, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut circles of about 6 inches in diameter. Cover with a damp towel and set aside.

4. Prepare the assembly line. Start with the covered empanada dough, accompanied by a small container of water on the side. To a bowl, add the cold beef mixture. To another bowl, add the sliced olives. To a third bowl add the raisins. To a fourth bowl add the hard-boiled eggs.

5. To assemble the empanadas. Take one dough disk and moisten the edges with a little bit of water. Fill the dough with about 1 tbsp meat mixture, 1-2 raisins, 1 olive, and 1 egg quarter. Fold and close the dough. Flatten slightly to seal the edges.

6. Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F, fan on.

7. Transfer the empanadas to a parchment-lined tray. Beat the egg in a container and use it to lightly brush over the empanadas. Poke the empanadas with a toothpick to allow the steam to escape through cooking.

8. Bake at 180°C/360°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.