Description
This delicious recipe for Brazilian-style Beef Empanadas features a flaky shortcrust pastry stuffed with a savory filling of ground beef, chorizo, potatoes, and aromatic spices. Perfect as an appetizer or main course, these empanadas are baked to golden perfection and served with a variety of dipping sauces. The flavorful filling comes together with a blend of herbs and spices, balanced by the richness of olives and hard-boiled eggs, creating an authentic South American experience right in your kitchen.
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 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 kosher salt
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 1/2 cup tomato passata
- 150 g potato, peeled and cut into 8 mm cubes (~1 cup)
- 1/3 cup green onion, finely sliced
Other Ingredients
- 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 1/4 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, separated (for sealing and brushing pastry)
Dipping Sauces
- Empanada sauce
- Optional: ketchup, ketchup with sriracha, pink sauce, taco sauce, salsa dip
Instructions
- Prepare the Filling: Roughly chop chorizo into 1.5 cm pieces and blitz with a stick blender until it becomes a paste. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat and sauté chopped onion and minced garlic for 2 minutes.
- Cook Meats and Aromatics: Add the chorizo to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Incorporate the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to deepen the flavor.
- Add Spices and Simmer: Stir in thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, chicken stock, tomato passata, and diced potatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are cooked and the filling is juicy but not watery.
- Finish Filling and Cool: Stir through the sliced green onions, then transfer the filling to a bowl and allow it to fully cool, approximately 2 hours, before using to prevent melting the pastry butter.
- Make the Dough: Whisk warm milk and egg yolk together. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and cold butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg-milk mixture and blitz on low speed briefly to bring the dough together in a ball.
- Chill Dough: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a smooth log about 20 cm long, cut in half, and form two discs about 2 cm thick. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Roll out one dough disc at a time to 3 mm thickness on a floured surface. Cut 15 cm rounds using a bowl or cutter. Place cut rounds stacked with paper in the refrigerator to keep chilled while working.
- Assemble Empanadas: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Place 3 tablespoons (55 g) of filling onto the top half of each pastry round, spreading into a half-moon shape leaving a 1.5 cm border. Sprinkle chopped olives and chopped hard boiled eggs on top.
- Seal Empanadas: Brush edges with egg white, fold pastry over to enclose filling, pressing out air and sealing edges. Create pleats, crimp edges with a fork, or leave plain as desired.
- Bake Empanadas: Place empanadas on baking trays, brush tops with egg yolk, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the base.
- Serve: Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauce such as homemade Empanada Sauce, ketchup, pink sauce, or salsa dip.
Notes
- Blitzing the chorizo creates a paste that deeply flavors the filling and blends perfectly with the beef.
- For the dough, rubbing butter into flour by hand works well as an alternative to a food processor.
- The dough can be prepared up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator; allow it to soften for 30 minutes before rolling.
- If filling becomes too cold and hard to work with, allow it to come to room temperature or briefly warm in the microwave so it spreads easily without melting pastry butter.
- Empanadas can be made smaller or larger, but traditionally South American sizes are around 15 cm in diameter.
