Sol Bar Beef Empanadas

Makes 36 empanadas

Zuny and Paul Gillard Photo: Gillard family collection

Ingredients 

• 3T Italian extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 kg of ground beef (20% fat)
• 2 medium red onions, chopped
• 2 small red bell peppers, seeded, chopped and seasoned with salt, freshly ground pepper
• 3 T ground cumin
• 3 T sweet paprika
• 1T dried oregano
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
• 2 glasses of Malbec (one to cook the meat and one to sip on while you cook)
• 2 t sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Puff pastry dough sheets (we make our own!)
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives (Picholine or Spanish), rinsed well, cut in half lengthwise

Method

Step 1

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over high. Cook beef, breaking up with a spoon, until browned but not completely cooked through, add wine  and let it evaporate. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat in pan as possible.

Step 2

Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, bell peppers, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, stirring, until tender but not browned, 6-8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Add cumin, paprika, oregano, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add stock and reserved beef along with any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in 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 raisins. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and chill at least 3 hours.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 375°. Let dough 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).

Step 4

Bake empanadas, rotating tray halfway through, until golden brown and slightly darker around the edges, 25-35 minutes.