Recipe: Tanguito Food Truck Beef Empanadas (Argentinean)

TANGUITO FOOD TRUCK BEEF EMPANADAS



"In Argentina, they have an empanada shop on every block, and when you want them you can just go there or they'll even deliver, " Bettina says. "So actually, when I lived there, I never made them myself. But when we moved to America, Steven's mother gave me a classic Argentinean cookbook because she knew I would have to cook here, and I took the dough recipe from that, but for the fillings there are no recipes. It's just common sense, very simple, what we like to eat. How we cook on the truck is how we cook in life, so of course we cook for people the same way we would cook for ourselves. What other way?" - Bettina

FOR THE DOUGH:
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided use
1/2 cup margarine, at room temperature, divided use
3/4 cup water
FOR THE FILLING:
2 tablespoons corn oil
3 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green olives
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle flour over it.

TO PREPARE THE DOUGH:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with 1 teaspoon of the salt, 6 tablespoons of the margarine, and the 3/4 cup water, stirring with a spoon and then using your hands to thoroughly blend the dough.

Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4-inch, then spread the remaining 2 tablespoons margarine on the dough's surface. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour, fold it in half and then in half again, and then roll it out again to a thickness of 1/16-inch. Cut out about 12 circles from the dough using a 5-inch ring mold.

TO MAKE THE EMPANADAS:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onions and the garlic. Stir in the ground beef and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, parsley, and oregano. When the beef is lightly browned, add the bell pepper. Increase the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the beef is fully cooked. Let cool and then stir in the olives, hard-cooked eggs, and raisins.

TO MAKE AND BAKE:
Put 2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of each dough circle and fold the dough in half to form a half-moon, pressing the edges together firmly and pinching them all around or pressing them with the tines of a fork to seal. Place the empanadas on a the prepared baking sheet and brush them with the egg yolk.

Bake in 450 degree F oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes about 12 empanadas
Adapted from source: Food Trucks by Heather Shouse