Recipe courtesy of Michelle Bernstein
Tucuman Empanadas
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 2 hr 10 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Inactive: 45 min
- Cook: 1 hr 5 min
- Yield: 5 to 6 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup lard
1 1/2 cups white onions, chopped fine
2 pounds rump steak, diced into small pieces
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper
Dough:
3/4 cup lard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cold water
3 1/2 cups flour
Directions
- For the Filling: Melt the lard in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the white onions and cook until translucent. Add the meat and the green onions. Allow to cook over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked (but not overcooked).
- Add the spices and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a cool, large container and immediately refrigerate.
Dough:
- For the Dough: Melt the lard on very low heat in a saucepan. Mix the salt and water together. Form a hole in the flour, and pour in the fat. Mix the ingredients adding the salted water slowly. Add the water just until it forms a dough. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes covered with a cloth
- Cut the dough into balls the same size as a ping pong ball and let it sit 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Roll each piece of dough to about 6 inches. They should only be about 3/4 inches thick. Let them rest another 10 minutes.
- Fill each empanada shell with about 2 tablespoons of chilled filling, directly in the center. Wet your finger with a little water and run it around the dough, around the filling. Close the shell and use your fingers to seal the dough together.
- Put empanadas on a baking pan and bake for just 4 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.
