The Argentinian Empanadas: How to eat them

The Argentinian Empanadas are everywhere, ranging from elegant cocktail parties in Buenos Aires to rough and ready outdoors barbecues in an Estancia with the company of the gauchos.

Many beef restaurants in Buenos Aires and around the country serve a complementary empanada to keep you happy while you face difficult task of choosing from the menu.

What Are Argentinian Empanadas?

How to eat an empanada from Argentina

Now we will tell you what the etiquette is for eating empanadas from Argentina properly.

– Empanadas are finger-food if ever there was. The whole idea of an empanada is to be able to eat something with ones fingers without getting those fingers dirty or sticky.

– Hold your empanada by one tip and cautiously bite off the other tip. This is important, because if the empanada is really hot and juicy, a puff of hot steam will spurt out and could burn your tongue or lip.

– Wrap a napkin around your wrist so that the hot juice which should run in a tour out of your empanada does not cause any damage. Empanada stains are hard to remove.

– While empanadas are enjoyable anywhere and at any time, they seem to taste better when eaten standing up and out of doors, in an Estancia, preferably along-side a sizzling, enticing Argentina parrillada (barbecue)

– An empanada is best washed down with a nice glass of red wine, Argentine preferably.

– It is estimated between 3 to 4 empanadas per person.

Gaucho empanadas etiquette also includes how many empanadas a host or caterer should provide depends as much upon the size and filling and the occasion.

When the empanada is served us as an appetizer before a meal, it is usual to calculate one or two normal sized empanadas per person. If it is to be the main player in a meal, five or six are considered normal.

With a genuine regional empanada from an Estancia in Buenos Aires, it is essential to wrap a napkin. True conaisseurs like gauchos would shake their empanada before taking the first bite, thus evenly distributing the juice over all the filling.

How to eat empanadas? Like the gauchos!

Gaucho empanadas as popular food

Pizza parlours and take-away food shops deliver a tour of piping hot empanadas at the call of a phone. Gaucho wives pride themselves on their special style of empanadas, and the filling is still a carefully kept secret.

The basics for making an empanada appear to be simple, and they are, yet a number of important and subtle touches are necessary.

The pastry is part of the secret and the heat of the oven of frying fat also has its influence.

The key of the argentinian empanadas

Gaucho empanadas experts insist that the most important factor of all is how the filling is prepared, at least when this is based on beef, which comprises something like 80% of empanadas eaten in Argentina.

A true gaucho empanadas has its beef finely chopped by hand, not passed through the mincer. This is an important point to bear in mind because the juciness of the meat – and the final juiciness of the filling – depends almost wholly on this factor.

A mincer squeezes much of the juice out of the meat, and if used at high speed and for more than a minute or two, heats up the blades and cooks the beef slightly.

Using a sharp knife by hand produces a natural mince wich retains all the basic goodness of the meat.

How the empanada is stuffed

Beef is not the only filling used, although it is the most popular. Other meats, such as chicken and lamb and even pork can be used, while other popular fillings include mozzarella, cheese and onion, humita (creamed corn), and almost anything fertile imagination can think up.

Extracted from “El gaucho gourmet” by Derek Foster: Buy the book Gaucho Gourmet.

You can enjoy your own empanadas while in one of these Tours in the Pampa Argentina and Estancia Full Day Tour.

The Real Argentinian Empanadas Recipe

Dough for Frying

• Ingredients:
  • 3 cups basic flour
  • 1 cup shortening, preferably lard
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 4 tablespoons slightly salted water

• Instructions:

1. Mix the flour and shortening in a large bowl until well combined.
2. Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly.
3. Gradually add the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Adjust the water quantity as necessary.
4. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and pliable.
5. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out the dough into a thin, flat sheet.
7. Use a wide-mouthed pastry cutter to cut the dough into round discs. Set them aside for filling.

Standard Beef Filling for Empanadas

• Ingredients:
  • ½ kg lean beef, hand-chopped into small cubes
  • ½ cup lard or shortening
  • 2 finely chopped onions
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • ½ cup boiling broth (or water)
  • Raisins, chopped olives, and hard-boiled egg as desired
  • Salt, pepper, and oregano to taste

• Instructions:

1. Heat the lard in a heavy iron skillet until very hot.
2. Sauté the onions until golden.
3. Add the beef and stir until the pink color disappears.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and mix well, cooking until the beef is lightly browned.
5. Add the scallions, paprika, and broth to create a thick mixture. Stir well.
6. Cook the filling for no more than 5 minutes.
7. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. Remove from heat and let it cool.
8. Once cooled, incorporate the raisins, chopped olives, and hard-boiled egg slices as desired.

Let’s continue with our recipe for Argentine empanadas!

How to Assemble the Empanadas

1. Place a small amount of the filling in the center of each dough disc.
2. Fold the disc in half to form a half-moon shape.
3. Seal the edges by wetting them with water and pressing them together using your fingers or a fork.

How to Fry the Empanadas

1. Heat a deep pan with enough fat or oil to submerge the empanadas.
2. Once the fat is very hot, fry the empanadas in batches of 2-3 at a time.
3. Fry until they are golden brown, avoiding over-frying.
4. Remove them from the oil and place them on absorbent paper to drain excess fat.

How to Bake Empanadas

• Baking Instructions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. Arrange the sealed empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Brush the tops with a beaten egg for a golden finish.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the empanadas are golden brown.

How to Serve Empanadas

• What to serve with empanadas:
  • Serve the empanadas warm, accompanied by chimichurri sauce or a side of spicy salsa.
  • Pair with a glass of Argentine Malbec for a complete experience.

Enjoy the authentic taste of Argentina with these irresistible empanadas! 🇦🇷