Derived from the word “empanar” meaning to wrap or coat ,we have the empanada – a stuffed or fried pastry traditionally filled with a combination of meat, vegetables or even dried fruits. These days they are  a fast-food staple across Argentina and there are a plethora of different flavours to suit every taste. Across the country, from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and Cordoba, their prepare their own variation of the filling. Typical empanadas in Argentina are much smaller in size than those in Chile, normally fitting into the palm of your hand. They are first thing I learnt when when I started in the kitchen was the empanada although they come in many different forms, different fillings and each is folded differently according to the filling and where they are from. Although I have learnt a few different types today I thought I would start by the traditional meat empanada.

PASTRY

3 cups of plain flour | Teaspoon of salt | 1/4 butter or lard |1 cup of ice water 

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add cubes of the butter. Add water and mix till in becomes a dough – add more flour if its still wet or water if it is very dry. 

Roll thin and cut into discs or squares! Fry in deep hot oil until golden brown. Or bake in the oven at 180 degrees until golden brown. 

EMPANADAS DE CARNE

The word “carne” which translates to meat is assumed to be beef in Argentina. This is Argentinas answer to the Cornish pasty.

1kg of ground beef or meat finely cubed  |  6 White Onions finely diced |   4 Hard Boiled Eggs   |  1 can of Tinned tomatoes or a fresh tomato sauce 1tbs paprika | Raisins | Spring onions | 1tbs chilli flakes | salt and pepper 

Finely cube meat, use “bola de lomo” or grind to mince meat and sauté until cooked. 

In a separate pan sauté the onions until soft and then combine with the cooked meat, add the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. 

Add the remaining ingredients except the egg and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce down so that it is not to liquidly. 

Allow the mix to cool, if making large quantities of empanadas and time permits make the filling the day before and leave to ensure the mix is completely cool before assembling the empanadas. 

Once the mixture is cool, roughly chop the eggs up and add into the mixture, stirring throughly. 

Fold the empanadas using the accordion fold and cook.

If you make the filling the night before wait to cook and add the eggs in the morning to ensure they stay fresh.