Lamb Empanadas Recipes

LAMB EMPANADAS WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent - 8 minutes.
• Add lamb and cook through, breaking up with the back of a fork - 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and red pepper flakes. saute 1 minute.
• Add raisins, olives, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano. Saute 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Lower to medium low and cook for 15 - 20 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked down but there is still plenty of liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Set the filling aside to cool.
• For the dough - mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar). In a separate bowl, mix together egg, vinegar, and water.
• Place the butter cubes into the dry ingredients, blending in the butter with your fingers until it forms a coarse meal. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together and add the final 2 tablespoons if the dough is still dry.
• On a floured surface, lightly knead the dough for 1 minute to incorporate all the ingredients. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour at least.
• Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll the pieces into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll the pieces out into a circle 4-5 inches wide.
• Place one circle of dough on a floured surface, fill with approximately 1/4 cup filling on one half of the circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Lay a slice of egg in the center on top of the filling. Fold over the other half of the circle and tightly crimp the edges. Repeat with the remaining circles of dough.
• In a skillet, heat 1/2 inch of peanut oil. Lightly fry each formed empanada - about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with chimichurri sauce.
• Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, serve.

LAMB CURRY EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Add raisins to rum; set aside. Let marinate for 10 minutes. Add half the raisins and 1 tablespoon of the curry oil to the Greek yogurt. Mix and set aside for 1 hour.
• In a medium saute pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add onions, jalapeno, ginger, and lamb; cook until lamb is cooked through.
• To the lamb mixture, add all the other ingredients, along with the remaining rum-soaked raisins. Remove from heat and let cool.
• On a floured cutting board, roll out dough to 1/8-inch. Cut out 5-inch diameter disks.
• Add one tablespoon lamb mixture to each disk of dough. Fold dough over and seal edges firmly with thumb. Repeat process.
• Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Bring entire mixture to simmer for 2 minutes. Strain and let cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add shortening into flour and mix until crumbled, then mix in water and eggs.
• Knead for 10 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.

ARGENTINE MEAT EMPANADAS

Steps:

• In a saute; pan melt the shortening and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until just before they begin to turn golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the sweet paprika, hot paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and salt to taste.
• Spread the meat on a sieve and pour boiling water on it for partial cooking. Allow meat to cool. Place meat in a dish add salt to taste, cumin and vinegar. Mix and add the meat to the onion mixture. Mix well and place on a flat to dish to cool and harden.
• Cut puff pastry dough into 10 round shells. Place a spoonful of the meat mixture on each round; add some of the raisins, olives and hard boiled egg. Avoid reaching the edges of the pastry with the filling because its oiliness will prevent good sealing. Slightly wet the edge of the pastry, fold in two and stick edges together. The shape should resemble that of a half-moon. You should have a 2/3 to 1/2 inch flat edge of pastry to work with. Seal by twisting edge, step by step, between thumb and index finger, making sure to add pressure before releasing the pinch and moving on to the next curl. Other sealing procedures like pinching without curling or using a fork to seal will not prevent juice leaks during baking, and empanadas must be juicy.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place empanadas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be sure to prick each empanada with a fork near the curl to allow steam to escape during baking. Glaze with egg for shine and bake until golden, about 20 to 30 minutes.

LAMB EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Thaw pastry at room temperature.
• Cut the lamb into very small cubes.
• Peel and chop the onion, potato, carrots and turnip into very small pieces.
• Place in bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Separate pastry sheets.
• Using a 5.5" saucer, cut out pastry rounds.
• Place a heaping teaspoon of meat and vegetable mixture in the middle of a pastry round.
• Dip pastry brush in water and moisten edge of pastry round. Pull up two sides of pastry to top and seal by pinching pastry together across the top.
• Place completed pasty on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 10 empanadas.
• Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from tray using spatula.

MOROCCAN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles, 5-7 minutes; drain. Stir in cream cheese, preserves, carrot and seasonings. Cool slightly., On a lightly floured work surface, unroll sheets of pie crust. Cut 40 circles with a floured 3-in. cookie cutter, rerolling crust as necessary. Place half of the circles 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Top each with 1 rounded tablespoon beef mixture. Top with remaining crust circles; press edges with a fork to seal., Brush tops with egg yolk; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut slits in tops. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a microwave, warm sauce ingredients, stirring to combine. Serve with empanadas. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked empanadas on waxed paper-lined baking sheets until firm. Transfer to a freezer container; return to freezer. To use, bake empanadas as directed, increasing time as necessary. Prepare sauce as directed.