This recipe is essentially my favorite dish, tapa, meal in the entire world; it is native to Argentina, where my mom is from. My mom and I make these “empanadas” for every birthday, asado (cookout), or special event. They can be eaten as a main dish or enjoyed as tapas for a soccer game. The recipe is pretty easy, but it takes a lot of patience and time to make; the ‘repulgue’ or the little pattern used to close the empanada, especially! In my culture, the kitchen is a very special and sacred place, where a family can come together and spend time, like my mom and I. I recommend making these with family or your loved one; it’s pretty fun. Typically, in Argentina, these are served warm with a glass of wine! I hope you all try this recipe and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Ground Beef
- 2 Red Peppers
- 1 Green Pepper
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 3 Eggs
- Kalamata Olives or ‘Purple’ Olives
- 1 Bunch Parsley
- 1 Tsp Better than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base
- 1 Tsp Iodized Sea Salt
- 1 Tsp Oregano
- 1 Tsp Pimentón de la Vera or ‘Chili Powder’ (alternative)
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- La Salteña Criollas
- Egg Yolk
Instructions
Note: Measurements depend on the amount of people eating. My mom and I just calculate the measurements based on the amount of ground beef we are using. Here we used 2 lbs of ground beef. Same with the condiments, put however much you want. We usually put 1 teaspoon of each condiment.
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Dice up the red pepper, green pepper, and yellow onion into small pieces and put into a pot.
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Put 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the pan and stir in with the red pepper, green pepper, and yellow onions. Stir until sauteed.
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Put in the ground beef and cook until beef is brown. Once stirred a little, you can put the lid on for 3 minutes and then stir again to speed up the process. Break up the pieces!
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Mix the Better than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base with hot water in 1 cup and once all stirred, pour into the pot.
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Stir in parsley.
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Cut up olives into small pieces. Do the same with the hard boiled eggs (I use an egg cutter). Put into the rest of the mixture in the pot.
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Put in the condiments and spices and stir all together.
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Store away in the fridge overnight.
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Place a scoop of the relleno on each “tapa.”
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Fold the tapa and form the ‘repulgue.’ Put some water on half of the circle to help seal the empanada. Instructions in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_cQ19dvxk0
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Put them on a tray, paint them with egg yolk, and heat oven to 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Enjoy!
https://www.laylita.com/recetas/empanadas-mendocinas-receta/