Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Stephen Ceideburg
1 kg Plain flour
250 g Butter, lard or margarine
1 Egg
400 ml Salted water
Beef filling:
150 g Butter, lard or margarine
2 tb Oil
750 g Minced beef
8 Or 10 green (spring) onions
1 tb Paprika
Salt and pepper
4 Hard boiled eggs, chopped
250 g Green olives
1 ts Ground chilli
1/4 c Tomato puree
1 ts Ground cumin
1 ts Mixed spices
1 ts Cinnamon
1 c Beef stock
Chicken filling:
500 g Minced chicken
3 tb To 4 tb oil
200 g Red capsicum, finely chopped
300 g Onions, finely chopped
4 tb Tomato puree
3 Hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Dough: Oil or a mixture of oil and solid vegetable shortening for deep
frying.

To make dough: Sift the flour, add the melted shortening and the egg.
Add the salted water bit by bit and mix to a firm dough. Knead for 10
minutes if making by hand, 4-5 minutes if using an electric mixer
with a dough hook, or 1-2 minutes if using a food processor with a
dough hook. Leave it to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

To make the beef filling: Heat the oil and shortening in a frying pan
and saute the green onions, finely chopped. Add the meat and stir
until it is cooked. Stir in the tomato puree and remaining
ingredients, cook for a few minutes more. Leave until completely cold
before assem- bling empanadas.

To make the chicken filling: Heat the oil and fry the onions, then
add the capsicum and dry until soft. Add the minced chicken and stir
until it has all changed colour. Season to taste, add the tomato
puree, mix well and simmer for a further 3 minutes. Leave until
completely cold before assembling empanadas.

Assembly and cooking: Roll out the dough about 3 mm thick and, using a
saucer or something similar as a guide, cut into 24-30 circles about
14 cms in diameter. Divide whichever filling mixture you are using
between the circles, putting it on one side of the circle only.
Moisten the outer rim of the dough with water and fold over into a
semi-circle. Curve the ends of the folded side together a little to
form a crescent, then secure the joined edges by fold- ing them over
each other in small sections to form a "rope" effect (if this sounds
too confusing, just press together and decorate with a fork in the
usual way). Heat about 6-8 cm deep frying oil to very hot and deep
fry the empanadas one or two at a time just until golden. Remove from
the oil immediately and drain well on kitchen paper. Serve very hot

Halve the filling ingredients or double the dough if making both beef
and chicken empanadas. Empanadas often include raisins or sultanas
which create an interesting flavour contrast with the meat. A handful
can be added to either of these recipes if you like.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

From an article by Meryl Constance in The Sydney Morning Herald,
7/13/93. Courtesy Mark Herron.

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