Spanish Style Empanadas

Spanish empanadas are my favorite empanadas because they are so easy to make. Typical empanada dough is made with butter and requires refrigeration and resting, but Spanish empanada dough is made with olive oil and requires very little rest time. Instead of frying these empanadas, we bake them, which makes them much easier and healthier to make.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 3 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup cold water
• 2 eggs with 1 tsp of water (egg wash)

Filling:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 14 green olives, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste

Preparation:

STEP 1.

Preheat the oven to 415*F.

STEP 2.

For the dough, mix the flour and salt together. Stir in the water and olive oil with a spatula to combine. Knead the mix with your hands until a smooth dough forms, around 3-5 minutes of kneading. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave on the counter while you make the filling.

STEP 3.

For the filling, in a pan over medium heat, add oil and saute onions, bell peppers and olives until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add ground beef and cook through, salt as you go. Add tomato paste once browned and cook for another 2 minutes. Cool and set aside.

STEP 4.

Roll out the dough, cut into smaller sections, roll to 1/8th inch thickness. Get a four inch pastry cutter, or small bowl, and cut into rounds. Fill each batch of pastry rounds with the filling. Brush the edges with egg yolks on both sides of the pastry and make into half moon pie shapes. Pinch the edges together, or press with a fork to seal it.

STEP 5.

Place on a lined baking sheet. Coat with egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve and enjoy.