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Prep time
50 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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Serves
10 - 12
Author Notes
This recipe satisfies all of your street food cravings: savory, slightly sweet, crispy fried crust, tangy sauce. Pocket foods like this are the original street food. I have made versions of empanadas for years but I love how the strong flavors of the lamb are balanced by the tanginess of the chimichurri sauce. The base is the traditional Argentinian combo of meat, olives, onions, and tomatoes. I traded out the standard beef for more flavorful lamb and added more sweet spices and acid balance with balsamic.
This recipe makes big empanadas - a meals worth easily.
The crust - courtesy of my husband - is a really good balance between a flaky puff pastry and a calzone dough. —meganvt01
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Ingredients
- Empanadas
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1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil
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1
medium sweet onion, diced
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1 pound
ground lamb
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3
cloves garlic, minced
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1/8 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
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1 teaspoon
Mexican oregano
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1/3 cup
green olives, pitted and chopped
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1/4 cup
golden raisins
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1 1/2 teaspoons
cumin
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1 teaspoon
cinnamon
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2
large beefsteak tomatoes, chopped, seeds and juice retained
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2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
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2
hard boiled eggs - thinly sliced
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1 1/2 teaspoons
salt
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3 cups
all purpose flour
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 tablespoon
sugar
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1 teaspoon
white vinegar
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1 1/2
sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes, chilled
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1
egg (beaten)
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1/3 cup
ice water
- Chimichurri Sauce
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1/2 cup
cilantro, chopped
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1/4 cup
parsley
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3/4 teaspoon
salt
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1/3 cup
extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 cup
red wine vinegar
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1/8 teaspoon
crushed red pepper
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1/3 teaspoon
ground black pepper
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1
clove garlic, minced
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1
bay leaf, crumbled
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1/2 teaspoon
mexican oregano
Directions
- Empanadas
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Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent - 8 minutes.
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Add lamb and cook through, breaking up with the back of a fork - 5 minutes.
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Add garlic and red pepper flakes. saute 1 minute.
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Add raisins, olives, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano. Saute 1 minute.
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Add tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Lower to medium low and cook for 15 - 20 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked down but there is still plenty of liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Set the filling aside to cool.
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For the dough - mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar). In a separate bowl, mix together egg, vinegar, and water.
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Place the butter cubes into the dry ingredients, blending in the butter with your fingers until it forms a coarse meal. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together and add the final 2 tablespoons if the dough is still dry.
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On a floured surface, lightly knead the dough for 1 minute to incorporate all the ingredients. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour at least.
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Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll the pieces into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll the pieces out into a circle 4-5 inches wide.
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Place one circle of dough on a floured surface, fill with approximately 1/4 cup filling on one half of the circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Lay a slice of egg in the center on top of the filling. Fold over the other half of the circle and tightly crimp the edges. Repeat with the remaining circles of dough.
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In a skillet, heat 1/2 inch of peanut oil. Lightly fry each formed empanada - about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with chimichurri sauce.
- Chimichurri Sauce
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Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, serve.
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