Recipe: Argentine empanadas
At Bluespoon in Amsterdam, an international brigade of top chefs cooks incredibly well and innovatively. But do you know what two of these guys have in common, besides the fact that they’re not at all unpleasant to look at in that open kitchen? They come from families who have been making people happy by cooking for them for generations. Both learned the craft from their grandparents and are sharing a cherished family recipe with us.
Mariano Merlini Alvarez: ‘Happiness came from Grandma’s kitchen; every bite was love for us and the ingredients. Nothing was wasted. When I started working for fantastic chefs at the age of seventeen, I had already learned to prepare Grandma’s dishes to perfection, and no one was prouder than she was. “The student becomes the master,” she would beam. In Amsterdam, I work with the most progressive techniques and concepts, but with the same passion, awareness and respect that I was taught from an early age. Ultimately, I want every bite you take to feel like coming home.’
How to make Argentine empanadas
- Dough:
- Melt the butter with the water and salt.
- Pour this into a mixing bowl and then add the flour.
- Knead the dough into a smooth, even ball that still feels elastic and springs back when pressed.
- Then let the dough rest for one hour under a damp cloth.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
- Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a sheet half a centimeter thick, then cut out circles 10 cm in diameter (the size of a CD). You can also use a small bowl or saucer for this.
- Filling:
- In a large pan, sauté the onions, bell pepper and the white part of the spring onions in a little oil.
- Add the meat and fry until everything is cooked through.
- Add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste; remove the pan from the heat and add the butter.
- Then transfer the filling to a bowl or container to cool, and sprinkle the green part of the spring onions over it.
- Empanadas:
- Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
- Take a piece of dough and place one heaped tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Then fold the dough over the filling in half (into a crescent shape), brush with a little water, firmly press the edges together with a fork, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Make sure the dough stays intact so the empanadas don’t lose their filling.
- Repeat until all the filling has been used.
- Finally, brush the empanadas with the beaten egg.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for half an hour until golden brown.
- You can of course deep-fry the empanadas as well. Enjoy your meal!
Tip 1: When you’re short on time, you can also make the empanadas with frozen puff pastry for savory pies. In that case, let the dough thaw for 15 minutes (while preheating the oven).
Tip 2: You can add various ingredients to the filling, such as olives, hard-boiled eggs or boiled potatoes.
Tip 3: For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with spinach and boiled potatoes.
Also read:
