Name: Beef Empanadas
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Latin American (Argentina)
Ingredients: 2 eggs, hard-boiled, each cut into 10 thin slices; 0.5 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp dried oregano; 340 g minced beef; 2 tbsp raisins; 1.5 tbsp green olives stuffed with pimiento, chopped; 400 g canned peeled tomatoes (drain, keep 2 tbsp of the juice, chop the tomatoes); 0.5 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 10 empanada pastry discs (frozen) (thawed, from a Latin American or Asian shop); 1 l vegetable oil (for deep-frying, about 2 cm deep in a deep frying pan); 1 egg, beaten (for the oven version only)

Preparation

Cut the boiled eggs into 10 thin slices each. Soften the onion in the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat, stirring.
Fry the garlic, cumin and oregano for 1 minute. Add the mince and fry for about 4 minutes, breaking up any lumps, until nothing pink is left.
Mix in the raisins, olives, salt, pepper and the chopped tomatoes with the reserved juice. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced but the mixture is still juicy. Spread out on a plate and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 100 °C to keep the finished empanadas warm. Roll one pastry disc out on cling film on the lightly dampened work surface to a diameter of about 15 cm.
Put 3 tbsp of the filling on the disc and lay 2 slices of egg on top. Brush the edge with water, fold the disc over into a half-moon and press the edge together with a fork. Do the same with the remaining discs.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 180 °C. Fry the empanadas two or three at a time for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and crisp. Keep warm in the oven and bring the oil back to 180 °C between batches. If you do not want to deep-fry: brush the empanadas with beaten egg and bake at 200 °C for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Malbec from Mendoza, lightly chilled
Ripe dark fruit and soft tannins suit beef, cumin and raisins; in Argentina this is the pairing par excellence.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Pale lager · good match
Pale lager, ice cold
Carbonation and cool freshness clear the frying fat from the palate.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Fortified wine · good match
Amontillado sherry, lightly chilled
The nutty note and salty dryness of the sherry pick up the sweet-and-salty character of the raisins and olives.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage
Spiced rum · good match
Spiced rum on ice or as a highball with ginger ale
The spices in the rum meet the cumin and oregano, and its sweetness stands up to the salt of the olives and mince.
What is spiced rum? Pay attention to the legal designation

Why it pairs well

Sherry and spiced rum are side routes to Malbec: both play with the sweet-and-salty character of the raisins and olives.

Preparation

Cut the boiled eggs into 10 thin slices each. Soften the onion in the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat, stirring.
Fry the garlic, cumin and oregano for 1 minute. Add the mince and fry for about 4 minutes, breaking up any lumps, until nothing pink is left.
Mix in the raisins, olives, salt, pepper and the chopped tomatoes with the reserved juice. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced but the mixture is still juicy. Spread out on a plate and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 100 °C to keep the finished empanadas warm. Roll one pastry disc out on cling film on the lightly dampened work surface to a diameter of about 15 cm.
Put 3 tbsp of the filling on the disc and lay 2 slices of egg on top. Brush the edge with water, fold the disc over into a half-moon and press the edge together with a fork. Do the same with the remaining discs.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to 180 °C. Fry the empanadas two or three at a time for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and crisp. Keep warm in the oven and bring the oil back to 180 °C between batches. If you do not want to deep-fry: brush the empanadas with beaten egg and bake at 200 °C for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Malbec from Mendoza, lightly chilled
Ripe dark fruit and soft tannins suit beef, cumin and raisins; in Argentina this is the pairing par excellence.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Pale lager · good match
Pale lager, ice cold
Carbonation and cool freshness clear the frying fat from the palate.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Fortified wine · good match
Amontillado sherry, lightly chilled
The nutty note and salty dryness of the sherry pick up the sweet-and-salty character of the raisins and olives.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage
Spiced rum · good match
Spiced rum on ice or as a highball with ginger ale
The spices in the rum meet the cumin and oregano, and its sweetness stands up to the salt of the olives and mince.
What is spiced rum? Pay attention to the legal designation

Why it pairs well

Sherry and spiced rum are side routes to Malbec: both play with the sweet-and-salty character of the raisins and olives.

Beef Empanadas

Preparation

Drink with it

Malbec from Mendoza, lightly chilled

Pale lager, ice cold

Amontillado sherry, lightly chilled

Spiced rum on ice or as a highball with ginger ale

This pairs well too.

Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce (Spanish meatballs)

Beef Carpaccio with Rocket and Parmesan

Lahmacun (Turkish minced meat flatbreads)

Lamb Koftas with Yoghurt Dip

Beef Empanadas

Preparation

Drink with it

Malbec from Mendoza, lightly chilled

Pale lager, ice cold

Amontillado sherry, lightly chilled

Spiced rum on ice or as a highball with ginger ale

This pairs well too.

Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce (Spanish meatballs)

Beef Carpaccio with Rocket and Parmesan

Lahmacun (Turkish minced meat flatbreads)

Lamb Koftas with Yoghurt Dip