Argentinian Beef & Cheddar Empanadas

Winter
On the Side

1 hr 45 mins
Serves 6
Beginner

Appearances aren't everything, and these fiery beef and cheesy empanadas prove just that when dunked in a homemade sour cream chimichurri dip. Sure to level up any canape board, these delicious flaky pastry bites are perfect for dinner parties and family gatherings.

Ingredients

Filling

1 Brown Onion (peeled & chopped)
1 Red Pepper (de-seeded and sliced)
Spices - 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp cumin & 1 tsp Oregano
20g Jalapenos (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
1 Garlic Clove (peeled and crushed)
400g Beef Mince
200ml Beef stock
150g Yeo Valley Organic Cheddar Cheese
Rolled Shortcrust Pastry 320g

Sour Cream Chimichurri Dip

1 Jalapeno Chilli (finely chopped)
1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
1 tbsp Red Wine vinegar
20g Parsley (picked and chopped)
20g Coriander (picked and chopped)
20g Oregano (picked and chopped)
1 Lime (zest and juice)
2 pots of Yeo Valley Organic Sour Cream
Salt and pepper

Method

Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped brown onion and sliced red pepper to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until it begins to soften.
Sprinkle the spices over the onion and pepper and add the chopped jalapeño, tomato purée and crushed garlic clove and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato purée is slightly caramelized.
Add the beef mince to the pan, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon.
Cook the beef mince, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and cooked through, this should take around 5 minutes.
Pour in the beef stock and stir well to combine.
Allow the mixture to simmer for another 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and liquid has evaporated.
Season with salt and pepper and allow the mixture to cool.
Lightly flour a surface and roll the shortcrust pastry to make it slightly thinner. Use a round cutter to cut out circles of dough, about 3-4 inches in diameter.
Place a spoonful of the beef filling in the centre of each dough circle and sprinkle with grated cheddar. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon shape, and use a fork to crimp the edges to seal.
Roll the extra pastry out again and continue to make the empanadas until you have used up all of the pastry. There will be some extra beef mince left over which you can either freeze or get inventive and make a new dish e.g. beef chili nachos.
Place the assembled empanadas on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg wash.
Put them back in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the pastry to set.
Heat the oven to 180C
Bake the empanadas in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove the empanadas from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving.
To make the Sour Cream Chimichurri Dip & Serve, combine all of the dip ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dip a freshly baked empanada into the dip.