Giant Beef Empanadas Recipes

GIANT EMPANADAS

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. , Place pastry shells on a baking sheet. Divide filling; spoon half of filling on one half of each pastry, spreading to within 1 in. of edges. Fold other half of pastry over filling and press edges to seal. Beat egg yolk with water; brush over pastries. , Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden. Cut into wedges to serve. Garnish with sour cream, tomatoes, cheese and/or lettuce if desired.

BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Put 2 cups boiling water, 4 ounces lard and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large mixing bowl. Stir to melt lard and dissolve salt. Cool to room temperature.
• Gradually stir in flour with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Knead for a minute or two on a floured board, until firm and smooth. Add more flour if sticky. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Make the filling: Season chopped beef generously with salt and pepper and set aside for 10 minutes. Melt 3 tablespoons lard in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and fry until nicely browned, stirring throughout to keep pieces separate, about 5 minutes.
• Turn heat down to medium and add onion and chorizo. Keep turning mixture with a spatula, as if cooking hash, until onion is softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, thyme and marjoram and stir well to incorporate. (Add a little more fat to pan if mixture seems dry.) Season again with salt and pepper and let mixture fry for 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato paste, pimentón and cayenne, then a cup of broth or water. Turn heat to simmer, stirring well to incorporate any caramelized bits.
• Cook for about 10 more minutes, until both meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce just coats them - juicy but not saucy is what you want. Taste and adjust seasoning for full flavor (intensity will diminish upon cooling). Stir in scallions and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Divide chilled dough into 1-ounce pieces and form into 2-inch diameter balls. Roll each piece into a 4 1/2-inch circle. Lay circles on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour.
• Moisten outer edge of each round with water. Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each round, adding a little chopped green olive and some hard-cooked egg to each. Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Fold edge back and finish by pinching little pleats or crimping with a fork.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place empanadas on parchment-lined or oiled baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Brush tops lightly with lard or butter and bake on top shelf of oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

EMPANADAS (BEEF TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, Sofrito, Sazon, garlic, oregano and black pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
• On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out discos until 1/2-inch larger in diameter. Spoon about 1 tbsp. meat mixture into middle, fold in half to form a half moon; moisten edges with water and pinch to seal closed, or seal with a fork.
• Fill a deep saucepan with oil to a depth of 2 1/2-inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking (350 degrees F on deep-fry thermometer). Cook Empanadas in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, scallions, and bell pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add ground beef, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin to the onion mixture. Cook and stir beef until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then cover and place in the refrigerator until meat is completely cooled, about 1 hour.
• Remove filling from the refrigerator and transfer into a colander to drain. Return filling to the Dutch oven.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Liberally grease a baking sheet with butter.
• Place about 2 tablespoons filling into the center of an empanada disc. Fold empanada in half into a crescent shape, press the edges of the dough together with a fork or your fingers to seal, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining empanadas and filling. Brush tops with egg white.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Cut each egg crosswise into 10 thin slices.
• Cook the onion in the olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the beef and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
• Add the raisins, olives, salt, pepper, and tomatoes with reserved juice, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced but the mixture is still moist, about 5 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 200°F, with the rack in the middle.
• Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a dampened work surface (to help keep plastic in place), then roll out an empanada disk on the wrap to measure about 6 inches. Place 3 tablespoons of meat mixture on the disk and top with 2 slices of egg. Moisten the edges of the disk with water and fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp with a fork. Make 9 more empanadas in the same manner.
• Heat 3/4 inch of vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the empanadas, 2 or 3 at a time, turning once, until crisp and golden, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
• Transfer the empanadas to a shallow baking pan and keep warm in the oven. Return oil to 360°F between frying batches.
• The EMPANADAS can be brushed with oil and baked on an oiled baking sheet in a 425°F oven until golden, about 10 minutes. (They will not be as crisp as fried empanadas.)

ROAST BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the roast beef, cheeses, salsa, peppers, and cumin. Mix well.
• Roll each pie crust into a 12 inch circle. Divide beef into four equal portions on top of one crust, placing a mound onto each of four quadrants. Top with second crust and use a pizza slicer to cut into four equal wedges. Pinch the edges together to seal and place on the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the pastry. Make a couple small slits in the top of each pastry.
• Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Serve empanadas with sour cream and shredded lettuce if desired.

HOMEMADE BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• First, make the empanada dough so it has time to chill. Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with your fingertips and work together until mixture resembles cornmeal - no big lumps of butter anywhere. Add the egg and the ice water and mix until dough forms. Form dough into large flat ball, wrap in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
• While your dough is chilling, make your filling. Heat a pan over medium heat and add your oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, until onion has softened. Add ground beef and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until beef is done. You may drain any extra fat here or leave it in before going on to the next step {I chose to drain the extra fat}.
• Add the cumin, paprika, oregano and salt to the beef mixture, as well as the tomato sauce or puree. Mix well so all is combined then take off the stove and add the chopped hard boiled egg. Stir well and set aside for use in your empanadas.
• After dough has chilled, remove from the fridge. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out empanada dough onto a lightly floured surface until very thin - like pie dough. Cut circles out of the dough using the back of a bowl or a large biscuit cutter. My circles ended up being about 6″.
• Place the circles on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and scoop a small amount of beef filling into the center of each circle. Pinch dough closed with your fingers. Be sure to seal the dough well or else it will leak out while it bakes!
• Mix one egg with a small splash of water. Brush this over sealed empanadas and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes for small empanadas or 30-35 minutes for large ones. Mine took about 32 minutes.