Argentinean-Inspired Beef Mini Empanadas
Description
These delicious mini empanadas filled with tender beef, veggies, and briny olives can be served as a either a main course or an appetizer.
Ingredients
•
1 pound ground beef
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1 medium onion, chopped
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1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
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1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
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1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
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1 teaspoon ground paprika, or to taste
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1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
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salt and ground black pepper to taste
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2 large hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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1/3 cup very cold water
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1 large egg
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1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Directions
1
Prepare filling: Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large, nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add olives, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in chopped eggs.
2
Scrape mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, 1 to 2 hours; this ensures the dough will not be soggy when the empanadas are baked.
3
Prepare dough: Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4
Whisk cold water, egg, and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour into the dry ingredients and blend with a fork. Use your hands to finish blending the ingredients until they come together in a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
6
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut circles, rerolling the scraps as necessary. I got about 18 circles.
7
Hold each circle in your hand and place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Gently fold the ends over the top and press to seal all the way around. Reserve extra filling for another use.
8
Set empanadas on a baking sheet. Press around the sealed edges with a fork if desired.
9
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on the bottoms, about 18 minutes. Flip and bake until the other side is browned, about 5 more minutes.