Chilean empanadas. Photo courtesy of cachandochile.com.
As we already told you, empanadas are by far the star of September as far as food is concerned.
One will never be too far from your reach during these festivities, and realistically, you´ll probably find one in your hand at least a couple times, as this classic is absolutely delicious! Now empanadas are popular all over Latin America, but each country puts a different twist on the idea; Chile is famous for its "Empanadas de Pino," a seasoned, somewhat random mixture of beef, onions, raisins, black olives and hardboiled eggs, baked to perfection.
Though they´re not overly complicated to make, they come out best with some preparation. And while they´re fairly cheap to just buy and enjoy (usually around $800 CLP), we leave you with a recipe just in case you´re truly feeling the "dieciocho" spirit and would like to make some of your very own empanadas de pino.
The following recipe, courtesy of "Recetas Chilenas" (Chilean Recipes), makes 12 empanadas.
The dough:
• 3 cups of flower
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of baking powder
• 1/3 cup of melted butter
• 3/4 cup of warm milk
• 1/4 cup of warm water
Mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Then add the butter and liquids, and mix everything very well. Knead it to form a soft dough, not sticky, a good test being to poke it with the result of the indention remaining. The dough must then sit for at least a half an hour, but if covered and chilled in the refrigerator, it can last up to two days.
The pino:
• 1 pound of beef round steak, chopped into fine squares (ground beef can also be used)
• 2 cups of chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbs. of oil (olive or vegetable)
• 1/4 cup of raisins, soaked in warm water for one hour and drained
• 1/2 cup of beef broth
• 1/4 tsp. of dried red pepper
• 1/2 tsp. of paprika
• 1/4 tsp. of cumin
• 1/2 tsp. of oregano
• 3/4 tsp. of salt
• pepper to taste
• olives (usually one per empanada)
• 3 hardboiled eggs
• 1 egg, beaten
In a large skillet, fry the meat in oil. Then, add the onion and garlic, cooking it until the onion is slightly transparent, stirring frequently. Add the broth and all of the spices and cook for three minutes. Remove and let cool. After cooling, you can fill the empanada dough immediately, but it is best and recommended to let the pino mixture sit over night.
When you´re ready to bake your Chilean classics, first preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚ C). Roll out the dough leaving it 3 mm thick, and cut out circles, 20 cm in diameter. Then cut the eggs into slices and begin to fill the empanadas by spooning the pino mixture in the center, adding a slice of egg, an olive and a few raisins. Moisten half an edge of the dough and fold the circle in half, pinching the edges together, making sure there´s a good seal. (Not necessary, but, make them look pretty!) Lastly, brush them with the beaten egg and poke three holes to prevent them from opening. Cook your beauties for around 20 minutes and listo! (finished!)
Now just eat them, share them with friends and enjoy the "dieciocho" spirit!
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