My Empanadas are an easy recipe combining homemade pastry with soft beef and vegetables. This Mexican recipe is like a Cornish Pasty except with attitude and a lovely warming hit from the pepper flakes and paprika. Serve as a main dish or as a snack all year round. They are best served immediately but I also make them in advance and store them in a container for lunchboxes.

My Empanadas

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries of The Americas and in Spain. The contents can be whatever you enjoy and are ideal for snacks, picnics and lunches.

4.61 from 94 votes

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Course: Side Dish, Snacks, Starter

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Beef, Dairy, Fruit, Spice, Stock, Tortillas/Wraps, Vegetables

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 279kcal

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp Salt
10 tbsp butter cubed
1/3 cup cold water

For the filling:

1/2 cup onions finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
8 pitted green olives quartered
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 lb Lean ground beef 450 g
1/4 cup seedless raisins soaked
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
2 large eggs hard-cooked wedged
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine the onions, olive oil, and beef broth or water in a skillet and boil over high heat until the liquid is evaporated.
1/2 cup onions, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup beef broth
Add the meat and cook, stirring constantly, until brown.
1/2 lb Lean ground beef
Stir in the raisins, hot pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, and salt and pepper.
1/4 cup seedless raisins, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Set the filling aside.
To make the dough, combine the flour, butter and salt in a large bowl.
2 cups all-purpose flour, 10 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp Salt
Using your fingers, rub the flour and butter together until they are blended and look like coarse meal.
Add the water and mix until the dough can be formed into a compact ball.
1/3 cup cold water
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, making a rough circle about 1/8 in. (3 mm) thick.
As you roll the dough lift it up occasionally and dust underneath with flour to prevent sticking to the work surface.
Cut into rounds about 5 in. (13 cm) in diameter with a cookie cutter or empty tin can of the right size, or using a plate or saucer of the right size as a guide, cut the circles with a knife.
Gather the resulting scraps of dough, roll and repeat until you have 12 to 14 circles.
Place about 1 1/2 tbsp. of the filling in the centre of each circle, leaving the edges of the dough exposed around it.
Top the filling with a piece of egg and 2 pieces of olive, and moisten the exposed dough with a finger dipped in water.
8 pitted green olives, 2 large eggs
Fold the empanada in half to form a crescent and press the edges firmly together.
Decorate the edges of the empanadas by pressing the dough with the tines of a fork, or by pinching with the fingers.
Arrange the empanadas on an ungreased baking sheet and bake them in the middle of a pre-heated 400F (200C) oven for about 5 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.
With a spatula transfer to a heated platter and serve immediately.