These Empanada de Carne (Spiced Beef Patties) are the perfect party food. Individual little pastries, filled with a spiced meat and fried to crispy golden perfection. They can be made using store bought empanada wrappers or by making your own at home . A great make ahead meat patty that are great served hot or even at room temperature.
What is an Empanada de Carne (Spiced Beef Patty)
Have you ever made an Empanada? Do you know what it is even? Well, they are super tasty pastries filled with what ever you like. They are typical in Latin American and here in Spain as well. You can find them in all shaped and sized but I prefer these little personal ones. They are not that difficult to make and you can even make them in advance and reheat them at your convenience.
You Can use Premade Empanada Wrappers or Make Your Own
If you are fortunate to fine Empanada wrappers in your supermarket, buy them! It then makes these little tasty bites so easy to make.
However, I understand you may not find them in many supermarkets. You can substitute frozen Puff Pastry if you like. And if you chose to do this, bake them instead of frying them. Alternatively you can use homemade Pizza Dough or homemade Pie Crust. Below, i will explain how you can do this.
What is an Empandada Wrapper
An Empanada wrapper is a small disk pastry round that you can buy in the foreign section of your supermarket. Ask someone in the grocery store if they carry them. If not, don’t worry. You can even use Pizza Dough or Pie Dough for this recipe.
How To Make and Empanada Wrappers from Pizza Dough or Pie Crust
- Make the pizza dough recipe as instructed. Roll the dough into a large disk as if you were making pizza. Using a small 4 or 6 inch plate, cut out circles and stack them between parchment paper. And that’s it, you have your own homemade Empanada Wrappers.
How To Enjoy These Empanadas
These are a great make ahead food that you can prepare advance, pop in the fridge and cook just before serving. They are great for food on the go, for lunches, picnics or even party food. They go great with the Tortilla de Patatas, the Spanish Ham and Cured Cheese Bites and the Spanish Ham and Cured Cheese Bruschettas. Oh and don’t forget a big pitcher of the Summer Sangria.
Here’s a FEW More Recipes You Might Enjoy
Well friends, I hope you enjoy the recipe and get a chance to try them out sometime. They are a fantastic little bite to have on hand and reheat when the hunger hits. Happy cooking and I’ll see you all in a few days!
Get the recipe!
Empanada de Carne / Spiced Beef Patties
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 personal sized empanada pastry disks
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet for just about a minute. Add the onion and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the ground beef and cook, continuing to stir the meat as it cooks. While the meat is cooking, add the cumin, oregano, vinegar, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the pan. Stir really well to combine the flavours. Cook for about another 10 minutes or so until the meat is cooked through. Remove from heat and leave a few minutes to cool before filling your pastry.
- In a large clean surface, lay out your 8 pastry disks. Place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of each disk and spread it out along the middle. Kind of like a big line going down the middle of the disk. Fold it over into a half moon and press the edges together to secure them. With the back of a fork, go around the half moon shape of the empanada and make imprints with the fork. As well, using a fork, puncture the pastry in several places. Set aside to cook.
- In a large skillet or a deep frying pan, heat your vegetable oil. Add as many empanadas as you can at one time. These will cook rather quickly. If cooking in a skillet you will have to turn them over after about a minute and continue cooking on the other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Serve straight away!
- Note: If using puff pastry for these, bake in a preheated 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
