Baked Beef Empanadas

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 60 g unsalted butter, melted
• 140 ml lukewarm water + 1 tsp salt (for the pastry)
• 500 g lean minced beef (5% fat)
• 1 large brown onion (about 150 g)
• 1 red pepper (about 180 g)
• 3 eggs (2 for the filling, 1 for glazing)
• 50 g pitted green olives
• 2 tsp ground cumin + 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for the filling)
• 1 lettuce
• 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (for the dressing)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Large frying pan
• Saucepan
• Baking sheet
• Pastry brush

📖 Steps

1. Make the pastry: in a bowl, mix the flour and salt, add the melted butter, then the lukewarm water a little at a time. Knead for 5 minutes on the work surface until you have a smooth, supple ball that no longer sticks to your fingers. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil 2 eggs for 10 minutes, cool them under cold water, then peel and roughly chop them. Slice the olives into rings, finely chop the onion and cut the pepper into small 5 mm dice.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and soften the onion and pepper for 8 minutes until tender. Turn up to high heat, add the beef and break it up with the spatula for 5 minutes, until no longer pink.
4. Add the cumin, paprika, 1 level tsp salt and some pepper, and cook for 1 more minute. Off the heat, stir in the olives and spread the filling on a plate to cool completely: if hot, it would soften the pastry. Then add the hard-boiled eggs.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 °C and line the baking tray with baking paper. Divide the pastry into 12 balls (about 40 g each) and roll each one out on the floured surface into a very thin disc about 14 cm across (about 2 mm thick).
6. Spoon the filling onto one half of each disc (about 60 g per disc), leaving a 1 cm border. Moisten the edge with a wet finger, fold over into a half-moon and pinch to seal, then fold the edge over on itself every centimetre to form a tight, rope-like seal.
7. Arrange the empanadas on the tray, brush them with the last egg, beaten, and prick each one once on top with a fork to let the steam escape. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until nicely golden.
8. While they bake, wash the lettuce and make the dressing with the oil, vinegar, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Leave the empanadas to cool for 5 minutes out of the oven (the filling is scalding hot), then serve 3 empanadas per person with the salad.