Jun 11 2008
Empanadas mendocinas for Empanada of the Month
Published by Laylita at 9:59 pm under All, Appetizers, Empanadas, Meat, Snacks, South America
Rebecca of From Argentina With Love is having an empanada of the month event and if you’ve visited this blog before you know that I love empanadas and am always looking for new recipes to try. The empanada recipe for this month is the empanada mendocina from the Mendoza region in Argentina (also known for great wines), and while empanada mendocinas are very famous I have never made them before so this was a great opportunity to learn how to make them and what makes them different from other meat filled baked empanadas. I started with Rebecca’s recipe for the meat filling or picadillo, I adjusted the spice quantities a little bit, just based on my personal taste, and added fresh oregano and green onions, I also halved the quantity of meat (from 2 lbs to 1 lb) and had more than enough for 25 empanadas. I wanted to learn what makes these empanadas so special and found out that when it comes to the filling you can make them either with ground beef or chopped beef, also the empanadas mendocinas are known for not using raisins- which are common in other types of empanadas - and to finish the paprika and picante or hot pepper are very important, in addition to the flavor they give the meat a bright red coloring that is considered a distinguishing factor for empanadas mendocinas.
The other thing that differentiates these empanadas is the dough, I was planning on making my standard baking empanada dough for these or even using the store bought discs, but as I did my Google research I found out that the dough for empanadas mendocinas is unique because it is made with milk which give it a creaminess and softness that the standard empanada dough doesn’t have, so I adapted and translated the recipe for the dough from Recetas Ya and Club Gourmet. The recipes all called for making the dough by hand, but of course I took the food processor shortcut and made a few conversions, if you have the time I really recommend making the dough from scratch, it made such a difference and my empanadas just baked beautifully, this is my new favorite baking empanada dough recipe, most of the time I experiment with different fillings and this time it was so much fun to try a different way to prepare the dough.
Another important part of these empanadas - and empanadas in general – is the repulgue or the curvy ornate seal, Rebecca has a very cool video on her post that shows how to do this; I confess that I’ve never really been good at making a nice perfect repulgue, in addition I’m always paranoid that the empanadas are going to leak, so my strategy is to seal them brushing the edges with egg white, then I press the edges with my fingers, I attempt to fold the edges and get a very clumsy crooked looking result so to kind of even it out and seal it I finish by pressing down again with the tip of a fork, it works and actually doesn’t look too bad when the empanadas come out of the oven.
The day before I made these empanadas I just happened to be reading Ines del Alma Mia by Isabel Allende and the main character in the book is a woman from Spain who travels to South America (and helps establish a Spanish colony in Santiago, Chile), the book is part fiction part history, but one of her talents is making empanadas, which helps her and others survive during situations of limited food availability, so I have to admit that I really don’t know a whole lot about the history of empanadas, but for some reason I thought that their origin was Argentinean or Chilean (I’m sure there’s a big dispute on the subject already and don’t want to get any wars started), but at least based on this book it seems they came from Spain, however I guess South Americans in general have done a better job of perfecting (and marketing) the empanada.
Finally I had to make a couple of dipping sauces and made two slightly different chimichurri sauces for these, the first one is a blended sauce with a little bit of white wine vinegar and for the second sauce I chopped the herbs instead and used balsamic vinegar, both worked well, Nicolas isn’t much of a balsamic vinegar fan (I know, what is wrong with him?) but I loved it; an aji criollo type hot sauce or tree tomato hot sauce would also go well with these delicious empanadas.
Ingredients:
Dough for empanadas mendocinas – makes about 20 medium or 30 small empanadas
3 cups flour
1 egg yolk
½ cup of grasa - lard or butter or mix of both
¾ cup to 1 cup of warm milk
½ tsp salt
Beef picadillo filling
1 lb ground beef
2 white onions, diced, about 3 cups
1/2 cup lard or butter
2 tbs smoked paprika
2 tbs chili powder or any ground hot pepper
1 tbs finely chopped fresh oregano
½ tbs ground cumin
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
¼ cup sliced green olives
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, white and yolk separated and lightly whisked
Suggested dipping sauces - chimichurri sauce (quick version and balsamic version) , aji criollo sauce or tree tomato hot sauce
Preparation:
Empanada dough
- Mix the flour and salt in a food processor, pulse until well combined.
- Add the lard or butter, blend well.
- Add the egg yolk and the milk in small amounts, pulse until small dough clumps start to form.
- Make a couple of balls, flatten into disks and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
- Use the empanada discs immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Beef picadillo filling and empanada assembly
- Combine the ground beef, paprika, red pepper, cumin, salt and pepper in a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together and chill until ready to use.
- Melt the lard in a large frying pan or sauté pan, add the onions and salt, cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add the meat mixture to the onions and cook on medium heat until the meat is done, stir frequently.
- Let the meat mixture or picadillo cool down, and then mix in the chopped green onions and chopped oregano.
- To assemble the empanadas add a spoonful of the meat mixture on the center of each empanada disc, add a slice of egg and sliced olive.
- Brush the edges of the empanada discs with the egg whites, you can also use water but the egg white is a good natural “glue” that helps seal the empanada.
- Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges gently with your fingers, twist and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers, as a final step use a fork to press down and finish sealing the empanadas.
- Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give them a nice golden glow when they bake.
- Let the empanadas rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until ready to bake.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Serve warm with chimichurri sauce or other dipping sauces.
These look fabulous! I love picadillo, so I know that I would absolutely love these. After taking all of those beautiful photos, when did you have time to eat them?
Susan - thank you! I was eating them as I as taking the pictures
Empanadas are a no-no in my diet, but I know a good one when I see it. Yours are wonderful, sinful empanadas. Really tempting. They are amazingly like to Peruvian empanadas which use to be great and are now an almost lost art. The ony difference I can see is that we add one raisin and a little dark olive to the filling, and we top the empanadas with baker’s superfine sugar.
Laylita,
Your site is marvelous! This recipe and the pork loin recipe sound wonderful. I was looking at the empanadas and my husband said his grandmother made them and used an upside down bowl, I scrolled down and we both had a good laugh with YOUR upside down bowl!
You lived in Austin? We lived in Austin. You now live in Seattle? We’re in Olympia.
Cheers,
Scotia
Don Lucho - Sorry about the temptation (and thanks for the compliment), in Ecuador we usually sprinkle sugar on the cheese filled empanadas, those -especially the fried ones- are also extremely sinful.
Scotia - thank you for visiting, upside down bowls are the best, I have one of those biscuit cutters but it’s too small for a medium sized empanada, so the bowls are perfect. I was in Austin for 5 years, and I’ve been in Seattle for 2 years, I love both places, just wish I could combine the best of both.
Delicious! I wish I could have a taste.
Paz
Paz- Thank you, I wouldn’t mind a taste of the empanadas you made, it would be great to a “live” empanada of the month event, then we could all taste each others empanadas, though that would be probably result in a few extra pounds gained each month.
These look gorgeous! I have to say, some of the best empanadas I’ve seen on a blogosphere! Your site is truly amazing.
These look fantastic! I just can’t get over your gorgeous recipes and photographs.
Gorgeous empanadas! Love the step by steps!
Excelent, i love empanadas. Great and very tasty.
mis favoritas. Gracias
Can’t wait to try these. Great photos!
these look amazing!!, the best i’ve seen since gulping down my cousin stefania’s in buenos aires. Gracias!!
Wow! I was just thinking about finding a recipe for Bolivian saltenas, which are of course essentially Argentinean empanadas. (What Bolivians call empanadas are a sad, dry, bready affair). Great to see this.
The last batch of these are just about to come out of the oven… I made them with Goya ‘discos’ and a bit more cumin than the recipe calls for and they turned out very well.
Just back from three weeks in Argentina so of course I was eager to try my hand with something Argentinian in the kitchen.
Much easier than I would have thought, likely because the pictures on your site really inspire confidence (”I can do that!”)
Thanks very much. Just discovered this site yesterday and have a lot more to look forward to.
Alan
Your empanadas look beautiful. The funny thing is, I just finished reading Ines of My Soul ( I love Isabel Allende), and that inspired me to look up recipes for how to make them. Thanks!
these look amazing. I am preparing the dough right now. i have to make a vegetarian filling (booooo) for a friend, but I think they will still be delicious.
these look wonderful, now I have to make them. I hope mine look as tasty as yours. thank you for the pictures.
Hey,I’m from Uruguay(across the river from Argentina)so our foods are…the same. Unfortunately my mom does not make great empanadas so I never learned to make them,and the best I’ve tasted, are mendocinas. I’m going to try this recipe and add more olives and raisins to it. If someone is interested in making vegetarian empanadas,may I suggest they use a spinach,onions,(eggs?) cheese(parmesan and one more,like feta or cheddar or cream cheese) use a little black pepper,salt, a dash of NUTMEG,(sounds weird but makes this dish),maybe some thyme,oregano,pepper flakes. It’s the filling for PASCUALINA,another typical Rioplatense dish. I make it for my kindergartner to take to school. He loves it.
cool site ,thanks
by the way, I never heard of anyone using dipping sauce for empanadas,but chimichurri goes well with EVERYTHING! Yum!
Layla,
Thanks very much! I was ecstatic to have run into your blog while looking for a step-by-step empanada recipe. I am Turkish but my boyfriend is an Argentine who loves empanadas and I want to surprise him with them.
I followed your recipe diligently, even made the dough from scratch. And now I am tasting the very first one out of the oven and I must say it is yummy! Even I’m impressed by my cooking skills (thanks to you). Rolling the dough was hard though. It required strength and time. I also was not sure about the thickness (Is there a guideline?). Next time I may try to use frozen dough rounds.
I am planning on cooking the rest tomorrow. Can I keep them in the refrigerator till then? And if I want to make more and save them uncooked, would freezing work?
Also is there a particular level in the oven that you cook them? I cooked mine on top shelf first but then switched to bottom when I saw they had gotten golden brown quickly. also was not sure whether to brush the oven tray with cooking oil or not.
I am also not sure about cooking the filling. How long do you cook the beef? I was a bit scared that the meat will be overcooked (considering it will be cooked again in the oven).
anyway.. Whatever I did, I must have done right, because these taste heavenly!
Thank you,
Rusen (from Washington DC)
Hi Rusen - I’m glad to hear to that the recipe worked out for you, here are some answers to your questions:
- not sure about the thickness (Is there a guideline?) The dough should be rolled very thin (about 1 mm)
- I am planning on cooking the rest tomorrow. Can I keep them in the refrigerator till then? And if I want to make more and save them uncooked, would freezing work?
Yes to both questions.
- Also is there a particular level in the oven that you cook them? I cooked mine on top shelf first but then switched to bottom when I saw they had gotten golden brown quickly. also was not sure whether to brush the oven tray with cooking oil or not.
I usually put the rack in the middle or lower middle. I also put the empanadas on parchment paper instead of putting them directly on the baking sheet, but definitely grease the baking sheet with oil if you are not using parchment paper.
- I am also not sure about cooking the filling. How long do you cook the beef? I was a bit scared that the meat will be overcooked (considering it will be cooked again in the oven).
My fillings are usually completely cooked, don’t worry about overcooking the meat.
I hope that answers your questions.
Take care,
Layla
Laylita,
Thanks, nice blog and recipes, I’m Peterson from Taiwan and planning to put up an empanada store, and luckliy I found your website, an empanada haven… I’d like to know how thick will the disks be? and I was planning to make more and store the disks, will freezing the disk make them last longer? thanks
Hi Peterson - The discs are usually about 1mm thick, you can freeze them, but I’m not sure how long they will last, maybe a couple months.
Layla,
Grazie. Gracias for being a giver and sharing your gift. I absolutely LOVE your website. Today, after Google-ing for Empanadas, I fell into your wonderful web of beautiful photos and inspiring recipes. Your Empanada recipe inspired me so much, I went to the market, got the ingredients and now…I find myself amidst the dough and the filling(which is fantastic)…and I am just about to roll and fill! I’m afraid that after I eat so many of them, I may turn into one big Empanada!
Thank you again,
Keep sharing and inspiring,
Lizette R. (Orange County, CA)