From my cookbook…Dave and Tony’s Beef Empanadas
Beef empanadas are a fun food for the whole family to make and eat!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
A perfect dish to make in the dead of winter
OK, it’s cold outside, maybe snowing or otherwise miserable, and the kids are getting antsy, so what can you do? I know, make empanadas!
I’ve always enjoyed a good empanada, but I've hesitated to make them at home because I don’t like dealing with the dough and the extra time and mess it requires. Fortunately for me, my wife Diane is a wonderful baker, and she does enjoy making things with dough, so that part is off my plate.
What made me reconsider making empanadas at home was finding out they sell empanada rounds (also called discos), which were as close as my local Hispanic food market. Who knew? Walmart or Target may sell them depending on where you live.
Anyway, check out the story that’s part of the recipe, and if you want to get the kids involved, there is something for everyone. A note of caution: If they are young or inexperienced, you may want to handle the knife duties yourself, just to be safe. The kids can handle sealing the empanada with the fork, and they will enjoy that. Don’t worry about how they look…They taste fantastic in any form!
David and Tony Giustozzi’s Beef Empanadas
As I was developing this cookbook, I asked Tony, shortly before he was coming for a visit, if he had an empanada recipe he liked. He mentioned that he had not made them and that we should develop one when he came. Great idea! So, when the entire family was over, we used them to test our recipe.
I have a favorite empanada place in Tulsa (they have the most amazing yucca fries!) and we went there to eat and determine what I liked so much about them. While they are very good, Tony and I decided we could improve them and at the same time add a little more flavor.
One of the issues with empanadas is there are many different variations, depending upon the country of origin. We decided to stick with a recipe that provides excellent flavor but that the whole family, including kids, can enjoy. This necessitated leaving some ingredients out, such as green olives. Anyway, we had to tweak the recipe a few times, but in the end, they were a big hit for kids and adults alike!
This recipe feeds a crowd. Feel free to half it if you want less. The leftovers are great the second day!
Ingredients
· 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
· 2 lb. ground chuck
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 2 teaspoons ground cumin
· 4 teaspoons chili powder
· 2 teaspoons Salt
· 2 cups celery, finely diced
· 2 cups yellow onions, finely diced
· 2 cups carrots, finely diced
· 4 garlic cloves, diced
· 1/2 cup beef bouillon (Note 1)
· 2 slices white bread,
crust removed, torn into small pieces
· 1/3 cup raisins
· ½ cup cilantro, chopped
· 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
· 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped, optional
· 2 2.25 oz. cans sliced olives, optional
· Goya empanada discs (Notes 2, 4)
· Additional olive oil for brushing
Directions
In an 8-quart stock pot, add the olive oil, then the ground chuck, and begin cooking on medium low, breaking up the meat until very fine. Cook the meat until just barely browned and do not overcook or it will become tough. Remove to a colander, to drain fat into a bowl. Return fat to the stockpot.
On medium low heat, add the cinnamon, cumin, chili powder and salt to the fat to bloom the spices.
Add the celery, onion and carrots (mirepoix) and cook, uncovered, until onion is translucent and just as it is starting to brown. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the bouillon and bring to a low boil. Continue to cook, uncovered, allowing liquid to reduce by about half.
Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until all the vegetables are broken up, but not too smooth. Return to stove.
Add the bread and raisins and return meat to stock pot. If using, add the olives. Reduce to simmer and allow to thicken and the raisins to swell, 5 minutes or so.
Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and hard-boiled eggs, if using. Note: If still too thin, thicken with a little bit of cornstarch and water slurry. You want a rather thick mixture that will not leak when put into the empanada discs.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Oil a pizza stone or large cookie sheet with olive oil to prevent the empanadas from sticking (Note 3)
Place each empanada disc on a lightly floured cutting board. Add an appropriate amount of meat mixture, a scant ¼ cup for 5 ½” rounds, to each round, do not overfill. Brush the edges with water to ensure it seals. Fold in half and crimp with a fork. Brush each empanada with olive oil.
Place in oven and bake 20 minutes or until exterior is browned and shiny, checking a few minutes before. Note: Cooking time will vary depending upon if you use a cookie sheet or pizza stone and the size of the empanada. Check bottom by lifting gently with a metal spatula and check the top to ensure it is golden brown and not burned. See Note 3.
Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy with charro beans, refried beans or refried black beans.
Notes:
I like Better than Bouillon. It is rather salty so taste the meat mixture before filling the dough round.
We are all about choices here. Goya empanada discs (discos) come in several sizes, I’ve seen 7” and 5 ½”. The 5 ½” ones have plastic separators which make handling them much easier. You can also use frozen pie dough, rolled out a bit to make it thinner then cut into rounds to any size you like, but this is a lot more work. Also, if a 7” empanada is too big, feel free to cut them down to a smaller size, many people like them smaller, especially for kids. Just be sure to adjust your cooking time so they don’t burn.
Cooking a lot of these can get a little tricky. I have two pizza stones, plenty of cookie sheets and three ovens so it’s not a problem. If you have just one oven, you may have to cook them in batches. Don’t stack the pans on different racks! The lower one will cook much faster and risks burning on the bottom, besides messing up the cooking time. OK to place two pans side by side. If you only have one oven, that’s OK, you can eat the first batch while the second, or even third batch is cooking. If using phyllo dough, keep the tops moist with a damp paper towel until they go into the oven. If you are using a pizza stone, be sure to preheat it in the oven. If you don’t preheat it, it’s a little more difficult to get the bottoms to brown and then there is the safety of handling a hot pizza stone. Better to use a cookie sheet
What is the best tasting but is a lot more work is using frozen phyllo dough. It is harder to work with, but the taste and texture is superior. Cut each phyllo sheet in half. Separate 6 sheets and and make a rectangle. Fill with a full ¼ cup measuring cup. Brush edges with water, and fold into a rectangle, leaving the split on the top. Brush with water to seal. Brush the top with olive oil. I suggest using a cookie sheet for the phyllo sheets and reducing temperature to 375 degrees for 20 minutes so that the bottoms crisp up. The pizza stone just does not heat up enough to properly crisp the bottom before the tops are finished.
Dave and Tony’s Beef Empanadas
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Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating healthy food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
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Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ