Beef Empanadas

I work at a wonderful place called Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis and they sell the best kitchen tools and offer wonderful cooking classes.  A huge perk of working there is that you get to eat all of the food that is being cooked and are exposed to different cuisines.  I worked a class where the students made beef empanadas and they were wonderful.  I knew I had to make them again.

My parents recently had a party and I catered the event.  I designed a Mexican inspired menu with homemade salsa, homemade guacamole, beef empanadas, tequila lime chicken, Mexican rice, and homemade cinnamon chocolate ice cream.  The food was a hit, but the beef empanadas stole the show.

They are incredibly easy to make and you can make them in advance and store them in the refrigerator (bake them at the last minute for freshness).  Enjoy!

Beef Empanadas (courtesy of Kitchen Conservatory)

For the beef:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup beef stock

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons hot smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat

Add the onion and cook until softened

Add ground meat, salt, and garlic

Cook until browned, stirring occasionally

Add the seasonings and beef broth

Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until sauce is slightly thickened, 3-4 min.

Let cool

For the dough:

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 16 pieces

½ cup ice water

1 egg white

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process for 30 seconds until blended

Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas

With the machine running, add the water

Stop the machine when the dough comes together into a ball

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, gather it in a ball and flatten into a disc

Roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch

Use a 3 or 3 ½ inch round cutter and cut circles in the dough

Place a tablespoon of beef filling into the center of each circle

Whisk egg white in a bowl until frothy and brush the edges of the circle with the egg white

Fold the dough over the filling and press edges firmly with a fork

Brush the tops with egg white

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes until the crust is browned