Empanadas Mendocinas (Argentine Baked Beef Empanadas)
Mendocinas are Mendoza's version of the empanada — baked, never fried, and distinguished by a milk dough that bakes softer than the standard. The filling is spiced ground beef with smoked paprika, cumin, green olives, and hard-boiled egg. No raisins. The paprika turns the filling and crust an orange-red that identifies these across Argentina. Made in batches, best eaten warm, and freezable before baking.
Ingredients
- 450 gground beef
- 2 large white onions
- 2 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tsphot paprika or cayenne
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 80 ggreen olives
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 400 gall-purpose flour
- 80 glard or cold unsalted butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 150 mlwhole milk
- 1.5 tspsalt
- 1 egg for egg wash
Method
- Make the filling. Dice the onions finely. Cook them in a dry pan over medium-low heat with a pinch of salt for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the ground beef, smoked paprika, hot paprika, cumin, and oregano. Cook over medium heat, breaking the meat up, for 8 to 10 minutes until no pink remains. The mixture should be fragrant and deeply orange-red from the paprika. Drain off excess fat if needed. Taste and adjust salt.
- Cool the filling. Transfer the filling to a flat dish and spread it out. Leave at room temperature for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The filling must be cold before assembly. Warm filling makes the dough sticky, prevents a clean seal, and causes the empanadas to burst in the oven. While the filling cools, quarter the olives and slice the hard-boiled eggs into rounds.
- Make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold lard or butter in small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix the egg yolk into the milk. Add the milk mixture to the flour gradually, mixing with a fork, until a soft dough comes together. Do not overwork. Form into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 3 mm thickness. Cut circles approximately 12 cm in diameter using a cutter, bowl, or glass. Re-roll the scraps once. You should get 14 to 16 discs.
- Fill and seal. Place 1 heaped tablespoon of cold filling in the centre of each disc. Add one olive piece and a slice of hard-boiled egg. Moisten the edge of the disc with water or egg white. Fold over into a half-moon and press the edges firmly together. Seal with a fork pressed twice along the edge, or crimp by folding the border into a braid — the repulgue. No air pockets inside.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Arrange the empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water and brush the tops lightly. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the surface is glossy. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before serving. The filling is very hot inside.
FAQ
Yes, cold unsalted butter is the closest substitute at a 1 to 1 ratio by weight. The dough made with butter will be slightly flakier and have a richer flavour than lard, which is more neutral. For a vegan version, cold plant-based margarine works. The key function of lard in the dough is texture: it produces a softer, slightly crumbly crust that is characteristic of mendocinas. Whichever fat you use, it must be cold and cut into small pieces before rubbing into the flour.
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Comments (7)
Вкусно, но 100 минут — это сильно занижено. У меня в реальности ушло 3 часа с учётом замеса теста, охлаждения, формовки 24 штук. Зато получилось аутентично — делал на сале как в рецепте, тесто слоистое как у французского круассана.
Love the filling. Made 30 of these for a backyard asado party, served with the chimichurri rojo from this site. Authentic Argentine combo, everyone impressed. Freeze the unbaked ones — they keep for months and you just bake from frozen +5 min.
Recette très bien expliquée, les détails sur le saindoux vs beurre sont précieux. J'ai pris le saindoux et le résultat est vraiment feuilleté, comme une pâte brisée argentine. Les olives dans la farce c'était une révélation, je n'aurais jamais pensé.
Вкусно, но тесто с салом сложное для начинающих — у меня первая партия развалилась при раскатывании. Вторая уже получилась. Рекомендую новичкам попробовать сначала на сливочном масле, оно прощает больше ошибок. Начинка классная, оливки в мясе — это находка.
Buono ma secondo me manca cumino — ne ho messo il doppio e il sapore è salito di livello. Il cumino è quello che le differenzia dai calzoni italiani. L'impasto con lo strutto è perfetto, meglio del burro senza dubbio.
Mit Schweineschmalz statt Butter wird der Teig wirklich besser — blättriger und authentischer. Habe es mit beiden Versionen getestet, der Unterschied ist klar. Zeit stimmt aber nicht, bei mir waren es eher 2 Stunden wenn man die Ruhezeit des Teigs mitrechnet.
В Мендосе эмпанадас пекут, не жарят — это главное отличие от остальных аргентинских регионов. Тесто на сале — аутентично, на холодном сливочном масле — более европейская версия. Пробовал оба, рекомендую сало если найдёте. Классическая начинка — рубленое мясо ножом, не фарш из мясорубки: текстура принципиально другая. Оливки и сваренные вкрутую яйца в каждой эмпанаде — это обязательный канон Мендосы, без них получится просто пирожок.