Silvia’s Beef Empanadas

Super excited to share a delicious partnership with an Argentina wine that we recently had the pleasure of learning about, Argento. We were invited to a dinner a few months ago, where winemaker Silvia Corti made us fall in with some super exciting wines from the Mendoza region of Argentina. This personal recipe for Silvia’s Beef Empanadas is a great dish to bring your summer grill out Argentinian style.

Silvia has been making wines for Argento since 2004, prior to receiving a degree in Viticultural Engineers from UNC Mendoza, as well as a Masters in Viticultural Oenology at Agro Montpellier France. Her roots in the wine business grow deep as her family is of Italian descent, and she was introduced to wine when she was a young girl by her grandmother. I completely related to it the same was for me; I just did not become a famed winemaker but rather a consumer of delicious wines, and my grandmother was of Basque descent not Italian. During our time with Silvia, we learned of the many wines of Argento from crisp and lemony Pinot Griogios all the way to big, and bold Malbecs. I am going to focus on the Malbec wine as it pairs really well with this empanada recipe.

We enjoyed a 2011 Reserve Malbec, that was full-bodied, peppery, and had a hint of warmth that reminded us of cardamon. This wine pairs really nicely with the beef-based empanadas, which are hearty but still light enough to be enjoyed before dinner. A little spice kicks them up a notch, while the salty olives add some depth.

When Silvia shared her recipe, I have to admit, I was kind of afraid to make them as I was not sure about the folding of pastry dough. While the recipe is easy to make, and you should not be intimated, it was confirmed that I definitely need to spend some time in Argentina learning how to delicately fold the pastry dough just right. I cheated by using a frozen puff pastry that I favor, as well I used a fork to seal the little pockets of love. Next time, I will make my pastry dough, and hopefully, know how to fold the empanadas perfectly.

Silvia was so excited for us to share our newfound love of Argento wines with you that they wanted to share two gift packs of some of their favorite grilling items. To enter just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter (our first time using it), and you have until August 17th to enter. We will announce the winners on the 19th of August.

More Delicious Beef Recipes

Beef Taco Skillet

Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs

Lime Infused Beef Stir Fry

Recipe: Silvia’s Beef Empanadas

* this recipe has many steps, the best thing to do is highlight, copy and paste into a word document and then print. Or email me for a printable PDF.

** Makes 24 small empanadas – perfect for a party!

Ingredients:

Empanada Dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup lard or butter
½ tablespoon salt
1 egg

Filling:

1 lb ground beef
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ cup green olives pitted and coarsely chopped
2 eggs, hard-boiled and coarsely chopped

How To:

Making the empanada dough:

(Cheat tip: buy ready-made puff pastry!)

Mix the flour and salt in a food processor

Add the lard and egg and mix together

Slowly add water until a clumpy dough forms

Transfer to a bowl and knead into a firm ball

Flatten slightly, wrap in cellophane and refrigerate for 30+ mins

Making the filling:

Hard-boil 2 eggs for 8 minutes and leave to cool

Chop the onions, scallions, and green olives

Roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs

Add olive and butter to a pan and heat

Add the onions and fry until translucent, then add scallions

Crumble in ground beef and cook until brown

Add the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and chili powder

Add the chopped olives & chicken stock

Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes

Once the chicken stock has reduced, add the chopped eggs

Set to one side

Assembling and baking the empanadas:

Preheat oven to 400°F

Lightly sprinkle flour on a flat surface

Roll out the dough into a very thin sheet (no more than 1/8 inch thick)

Cut the dough into circles roughly 5 inches in diameter

Place a heaped tablespoon of filling (careful not to overfill) onto each dough disc

Fold the pastry in half over the top of the filling and seal the semi-circle by firmly pressing the two edges together with your fingers (a few drops of water can help seal the 2 sides together)

Starting at one corner, pinch the two sides together and fold the pastry over itself repeatedly to form pleats (alternatively you can seal with a fork)

Brush the empanadas with egg wash (a whole egg whisked) for a nice glazed finish

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown

Disclaimer ~ Argento Wines supplied us with the wine to taste but did not require us to write about it. This write-up and all opinions belong to us.