Hello everyone ! This time, I bring you a delicious recipe: fried empanadas with meat. These empanadas are a popular dish in many Latin American countries and can be found almost anywhere. The juicy seasoned meat filling and crispy fried batter make them irresistible.

Announcement

Ingredients :

Homemade dough for empanadas:

• 3 cups unprepared wheat flour
• ¼-½ teaspoon of salt
• 6 ounces (170 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• ¼-½ cup water (adjust as needed)

For the beef filling:

• 4 tablespoons of butter or oil
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2-3 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground achiote
• 1 pound (about 450 grams) ground beef
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 beaten egg, to brown the empanadas

To accompany :

• Tomato sauce

Preparation :

To prepare the empanada dough:

1. Use a blender or food processor to combine the flour and salt.
2. Add the butter cut into small pieces and mix well.
3. Add the egg and water (gradually) and continue mixing until you have a lumpy dough.
4. If you don’t have a blender, follow the same process,
   but use your hands to blend the ingredients until you have a smooth dough.
5. The dough can be used immediately or refrigerated until needed (1-2 days).
6. To make the empanada discs or circles, there are several options.
7. The first is to roll out the dough with a rolling pin
   until you get a thin layer and use a round mold (or a glass or bowl) to cut out circles.
8. Another method is to form small individual balls with the dough, then stretch each ball into
   individual discs (they don’t have to be perfectly round).
9. If you have a tortilla press, you can use it to flatten and stretch the dough balls.

For the meat filling:

1. Heat the butter or oil in a large frying pan, add the chopped onion and crushed garlic.
2. Cook until the onions are soft and transparent.
3. Add the dried oregano, ground cumin, ground achiote, salt and pepper.
4. Add the minced meat, mix and cook over medium heat until the meat is completely cooked.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your personal taste.
6. Let the meat filling cool completely before using it to fill the empanadas.

assemble and cook the meat empanadas:

1. Place a dollop (or two) of meat filling in the center of each empanada circle or disk.
2. Fold the empanada discs and use your fingers to seal the edges.
3. To form the folds, turn and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers.
4. Another option is to use a fork to press and seal the edges of each empanada.
5. If you have time, refrigerate the empanadas for 30 minutes to an hour, this will help them seal well.
6. You can also prepare and assemble them the day before to cook them just before serving.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) for medium-sized empanadas, or 190°C (375°F) for smaller empanadas.
8. Place the empanadas on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
9. Brush the empanadas with the beaten egg mixture, this will give them a nice golden color.