ARGENTINIAN SPICES RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, sautée the onions in the oil and butter. (Using butter is important since once cold, it will make assembling the empanadas easier). Sprinkle the crushed cube of vegetable stock (This enhances flavour). Add in the meat. Cook until slightly coloured (it is not recommended to cook well meat well, since then, the empanadas will be baked or fried, so a double cooking process will make meat harder!)
• ncorporate the tomato sauce (this is optional, but I find this makes empanadas "juicier", Argentinians love it when their empanadas drip the meat/onions/tomato juice!; this is also why you don't have to skimp on the onions...) Cook for 2'. Add in all the spices, the olives and hard-boiled eggs. Refrigerate, preferably 24hs.
• In a bowl, put the flour, adding slowly the melted fat or butter. Incorporate this using a fork. Then, put the mixture on your table, making a mound with a well in the center. Start adding the salmuera, little by little, make a ball. The mixture should not be neither too dry not too sticky. If the last happens, rub your hands with flour, and keep on kneading as you would bread dough. Continue until the dough is smooth.
• Form a ball, and let the dough rest (cover with a towel) for 15'. On a floured table top, flatten the dough ball, with a rolling pin, until it is 3 mm wide. Then, cut 12cm wide circles, using a pastry ring mold or a tea saucer.
• Nowadays, in Argentina, people rarely make the dough themselves, since it can be bought, pre cut, in the right size, in any supermarket. If you want to avoid the hassle of making the dough yourself, you can buy pastry puff sheets and cut them into smaller disks of the right dimension...the flavour won't be the same, but it is a great time-saver!
• OK, a spoonful of the filling is on the pastry disk, seal them as you see in the photo
• Place the empanadas on a baking tray, brushed with sunflower oil. Bake them (200°C°) for 15/20' until golden brown.
• For extra brilliance and taste, you can brush the empanadas with egg yolk. Some people love sprinkling cassonade (brown) sugar on them! (My family adores that !!)

Steps:

• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over high. Cook 2 lb. ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, until browned but not completely cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat in pan as possible.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook 2 medium onions, chopped, 2 small red bell peppers, seeded, chopped, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, stirring, until tender but not browned, 6–8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Add 3 Tbsp. ground cumin, 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika, 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, and ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1½ cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth and reserved beef along with any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in 2 tsp. sugar, 4 tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until most of the liquid is evaporated, 15–20 minutes; taste and season with salt and black pepper, if needed. Stir in ½ cup raisins. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and chill at least 3 hours. Do Ahead: Beef filling can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• Preheat oven to 375°. Let 3 packages Puff Pastry Dough for Empanadas sit at room temperature 15 minutes to temper. Remove 6 rounds from package, keeping plastic divider underneath, and arrange on a work surface. Place 2 Tbsp. filling in the center of each round.
• Top with 2 olive halves. Brush water around half of outer edge of each round.
• Using plastic divider to help you, fold round over filling and pinch edges to seal.
• Using a fork, crimp edges. Remove plastic and transfer empanada to a parchment-lined sheet tray, spacing 1" apart. Repeat with remaining rounds (you’ll get about 12 empanadas on each tray).
• Bake empanadas, rotating tray halfway through, until golden brown and slightly darker around the edges, 25–35 minutes. Do Ahead: Unbaked empanadas can be made 3 months ahead; freeze on sheet tray, then transfer to freezer bags and keep frozen.