Description
Traditional Brazilian beef empanadas featuring a flaky shortcrust pastry filled with a flavorful mixture of ground beef, chorizo, potatoes, and spices, baked to golden perfection. Perfect as an appetizer or main course, served hot with a tangy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Empanada Shortcrust Pastry
- 2 1/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 175 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup warm full-fat milk
Empanada Filling
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 300 g beef mince (ground beef)
- 120 g chorizo
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 1/2 cup tomato passata
- 150 g potato, peeled, cut into 8 mm cubes (~1 cup)
- 1/3 cup green onion, finely sliced
Other
- 2 hard boiled eggs (cooked 9 minutes)
- 1/4 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, separated (yolks whisked for sealing and brushing pastry)
Dipping Sauces
- Empanada sauce (homemade recommended)
- Other options: ketchup, ketchup with sriracha, pink sauce, taco sauce, salsa dip
Instructions
- Prepare Filling: Roughly chop chorizo into 1.5 cm pieces and blitz with a stick blender until it forms a paste. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat, then sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes until softened.
- Cook Meat: Add chorizo paste to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add beef mince and cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Seasonings and Simmer: Add thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, chicken stock, tomato passata, and diced potato. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and filling is juicy but not watery.
- Finish and Cool Filling: Stir in green onion, then transfer filling to a bowl and allow to cool fully, about 2 hours. Chilling helps in easier handling for assembling empanadas.
- Make Dough: In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and cold butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs with pea-sized lumps. Whisk egg yolk and warm milk together. Add liquid mixture to processor and pulse on low until dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds. If making by hand, rub butter into flour, mix in liquid, and knead until smooth.
- Chill Dough: Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, shape into ~20 cm long log, and cut in half. Press each half into 2 cm thick discs. Wrap discs tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Roll one chilled disc on floured surface to 3 mm thickness. Cut 15 cm rounds using a bowl or cutter. Stack rounds on paper and keep covered in fridge while rolling out remaining dough. Yield should be 10 to 11 rounds.
- Assemble Empanadas: Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan). Place 3 tablespoons (55 g) filling onto one half of each pastry round, spreading into a half-moon shape with a 1.5 cm border. Sprinkle chopped olives and chopped hard boiled egg over filling. Brush edges with egg white, fold over, and seal edges by pressing out air. Optionally create pleats or crimp with a fork.
- Bake Empanadas: Place on two baking trays, brush tops with whisked egg yolk. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the base.
- Serve: Serve empanadas hot with your choice of dipping sauces such as homemade empanada sauce, ketchup, or salsa.
Notes
- Blitzing chorizo ensures a smooth paste that melds well with beef and releases more flavor than chopping.
- If making dough by hand, rub cold butter into flour, then mix in egg-milk mixture and knead until smooth.
- Dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; allow 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
- Empanadas traditionally come in large sizes; for authentic South American style, 15 cm rounds are recommended.
- If filling is too cold and firm to handle, let it sit at room temperature briefly or gently warm in microwave to spreadable consistency without melting pastry butter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 empanada
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
