COLOMBIAN BEEF EMPANADAS
Yield: approx. 40 empanadas. Serves: 10
BEEF FILLING:
3 lbs beef chuck roll (season heavily with salt and pepper before searing)
2 quarts beef stock
4 medium onions, diced
3 tbsp of garlic
3 medium carrots, diced
1 oz thyme sachet
2 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp oregano
1 ½ tbsp cumin
3 lbs medium-sized yukon potatoes, diced 4 oz tomato paste
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Directions:
1. Cut the chuck roll into 1-inch-thick slices and season heavily with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot at high heat sear chuck roll on all sides. Pull meat from the pot and add carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, stock and spices.
3. Add seared beef back to the pot, cover and simmer at low heat for 1.5 hours, adding water and stock as needed.
4. After beef is fork tender, pull from stock, shred meat and reduce liquid by half. Add diced potatoes and tomato paste and simmer until potatoes are cooked through.
5. Add meat back to the mixture and season to taste. Mixture should be thick and heavy. Cool and store.
EMPANADA DOUGH:
1 cup canola oil
3 oz achiote paste 1 ½ lbs arepa harina 4 cups water
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp salt
Directions:
1. Blend canola oil and achiote paste until smooth, transfer to a small pot and warm up at low heat for a few minutes, set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl add arepa harina, half of prepped oil, cumin, salt and water little by little, kneading the dough until it comes together into a smooth thick dough. (Add oil and water as needed).
BUILDING THE EMPANADAS DIRECTIONS:
You will need a tortilla press and a plastic Hefty bag to build your empanadas. Once your masa has a homogenous texture with a soft feel and is a bit slippery from the oil, you are ready to build your empanadas. Begin by weighing 4 oz balls of masa, as many as desired.
Steps:
1. Open the tortilla press.
2. Lay out the plastic Hefty bag on top of the press and place a masa ball in the middle.
3. Press the masa ball into a thin disc by closing the tortilla press and pressuring it closed. You should finish with a 7-inch tortilla disc.
4. Keeping the disc on the plastic, add 2 oz of empanada filling and close the dough into a half moon.
5. Using a large coffee mug placed over the half moon and making sure to be along the inside edge, press down with a good amount of pressure.
6. Peel back the plastic and remove the empanada, making sure the seam is closed tight and that there are no cracks on the surface.
7. Fry for five minutes at 350° and remove from oil. Add salt and serve hot.