Argentinian empanadas: 3 tasty recipes

It’s hard to pin down the precise origin of the empanada, but it was probably inspired by a Spanish dish from the fifteenth century. Merchants and other nomads of the Iberian peninsula would take on their travels an easy-to-carry bread that they filled with a variety of ingredients.

Practical and simple to make, the empanada (from the verb empanar, literally ‘to put in bread’) has developed into a popular gastronomic item. From Russia to Italy via North Africa and France, the empanada has culinary equivalents in many countries. But France’s rissole and Italy’s calzone are nowhere near as famous as the empanada.

In Buenos Aires, casas de empanadas are found throughout the city. It’s deluxe ‘fast-casual’ food, gourmet takeaway, cooked using quality ingredients like Argentinian beef, local vegetables, etc. You take it with you and eat it wherever you want, preferably with your fingers…

The empanada has an international reputation and the Argentinians have made it a jewel of their cuisine. From Salta to Buenos Aires, via Córdoba, Mendoza and Tucumán, the recipe varies. Olives, raisins, potatoes, eggs and other surprises, depending on the region, are added to beef, chicken, tuna, cheese, spinach or onions. Tucumán, which claims to be the province with the best empanadas, has even started a world empanada championship!

This recipe makes 20 rounds of dough, 14cm (5½ inches) across . Allow about 30 minutes of preparation time and 2 hours resting time.

Classic dough (for baking)

1. Cut 325g of unsalted butter into small cubes. Sift 1kg of plain (all-purpose) flour into a large bowl. Add 25g of salt and the cubes of butter.

2. Rub the butter into the flour and salt with your hands until you have a sandy texture with no lumps.

3. Add 35ml of water and combine with the flour mixture using your hands. Add a little more water if necessary. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 10-15 minutes.

4. Form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.