Fried Beef Empanadas: Tricks and Thermal Tips for Flaky Results
Fried beef empanadas, based on recipes from Bon Appetit and Curious Cuisiniere. Makes 18 empanadas
Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 lb ground beef 20% fat
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 small to medium red bell pepper seeded, chopped
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1½ Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp sweet paprika
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 C chicken stock or broth
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 C raisins
- 1/4 C pitted green olives cut in half lengthwise
For the dough
- 8 C (1kg) all-purpose flour
- 1 C butter or lard, softened
- ¾ C granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ C water
- You will also need a quart or two of high-smoke point oil such as peanut or corn oil.
Instructions
First, make the filling so that it can cool while you make the dough.
- In a large saute pan, heat half the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook until the beef is almost, but not quite, done.
- Remove the beef to a bowl, leaving as much fat in the pan as possible. Set the beef aside and put the pan back on the heat.
- Add the chopped onion and peppers as well as the rest of the oil to the pan and saute until translucent.
- Add the spices and herbs with the salt and pepper to the pan and cook until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken stock and add the reserved beef and the raisins. Simmer the mixture over medium-low heat until almost all of the liquid has cooked out.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl or a pan and cool it on the counter and then in the refrigerator until chilled. (Spreading it out on a sheet tray will speed the cooling quite a bit. Thermal thinking!)
Prepare the dough
- Combine the dry ingredients for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to homogenize.
- Add the softened butter and mix to combine. The mixture should resemble a coarse meal.
- Add the water and knead with a dough hook until the dough is soft, pliable, and fairly smooth.
- Turn the dough out onto your countertop and portion it into 18 equal-sized pieces.
- Roll each piece on the countertop to form a ball. Put them all on a sheet tray and set them aside to rest for 20 minutes. Cover them with a cloth to prevent drying out.
Fill and fry the empanadas
- Start heating 3" of oil in a deep Dutch oven or pot. If using ChefAlarm to track the temperature, use the included pot clip to attach the probe to the pot and set the high-temp alarm for 350°F (177°C) and the low-temp alarm for 325°F (163°C). If using Thermapen ONE, check the temperature every minute or so as you prepare the empanadas.
- Squash a dough ball into a flattish disc and roll it out into a 6" circle. It does not need to be super thin! Don't roll it as thin as you can, just go for 6".
- Add 2–3 Tbsp filling to the center of the disc, as well as two cut halves of a green olive. (You thought I forgot the green olives, didn't you?)
- Fold the bottom half of the dough over the filling to meet the top edge.
- Press the edges together, trying to expel as much excess air in the pocket as possible.
- Fold one corner of the crescent in over the rim, making a sort of little triangle on the border. Press that corner tightly. Now fold the point of that triangle in over the edge, etc. etc. Press each fold firmly as you go.
- Repeat for all the empanadas.
- When the oil comes to temperature, gently lower 2–3 empanadas into the oil and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until they are golden brown and lovely all over.
- Remove the empanadas to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to cool and drain. (Also, hold each empanada above the oil for a few moments to allow excess oil to run off and out of the empanada before moving them to the baking sheet.)
- Make sure that the oil temperature has returned to 350°F (177°C) before adding more food to cook, then continue cooking the empanadas in batches until they are all cooked.
- Serve the empanadas with something cold to drink and sit back to enjoy your empanadas, your life, and the compliments that are about to start rolling in!
Notes
I made a quick, improvised chimichurri to serve with our empanadas. It's not super authentic, but it is super tasty. Roughly chop 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 bunch of flatleaf parsley, 1 serrano pepper, and 1 clove of garlic. Put them all in the jar of a blender, and add 1/4 C olive oil and 1/2 C white vinegar. Season with a heavy pinch of salt. Whiz until smooth, check for seasoning, and set aside for use. It's very good, and everyone here wanted me to include it in this recipe, so here it is!