Mini Panamanian Beef Empanadas Recipes

LISA'S BEEF EMPANADAS FROM PANAMA

Steps:

• Add olive oil in a large pan or caserola. Start browning the ground beef on medium high heat.
• Once the ground beef is broken down and browned, add the chopped onion and peppers. When the onions are cooked, add garlic. Stir and saute for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and stir. Brown the beef into the tomato paste for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Make sure to keep stirring so it doesn't stick.
• Add the green onions and chopped olives. Stir together.
• Add all of the spices: oregano, thyme, paprika, ground annatto, ground cumin and sazón. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
• Slowly add the water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, stirring gently.
• Cook on low for about 5 minutes, until the water evaporates into the beef mixture.
• Take the pan off the heat and let cool for about a hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Lay all the dough leaves on your work surface, two or three inches apart. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the ground beef filling in the middle of each leaf. Fold each in half and press the sides down with a fork, leaving the indentation marks. Then, with your fork, puncture one set of 4 little holes on the top so the empanadas can air out while baking.
• Line up the stuffed empanadas on your baking sheet or baking pan. Brush each lightly with egg so they don't dry up.
• Place the empanadas in an oven preheated to 375° for 18 to 20 minutes. They will emerge golden-brown and steaming hot. Enjoy!

PANAMANIAN BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Filling:.
• Place oil in skillet and brown the beef, then drain the grease.
• Add rest of ingredients, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
• If needed, add a little bit of flour to thicken the consistency of the filling. Salt and pepper to taste.
• For Crust:.
• Roll out on a lightly floured board-1/8th inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter or glass for appetizer sized empanadas. Use a small plate for luncheon size empanadas.
• On each round, put about 1/2 teaspoon filling. Fold over and flute edges with fork. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees until the crust is golden brown.
• You can also deep fry these in a deep fryer or in a deep skillet with enough oil to cover them. that's the way they eat them there, but baking is lower fat! But fried is sooo good! If frying don't brush the tops with egg!
• Enjoy!

MINI PANAMANIAN BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• MAKE THE DOUGH: In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat the eggs with the wine and vinegar and drizzle over the flour mixture. Pulse until the dough just comes together. On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• PREPARE THE FILLING: In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Add the achiote seeds and cook over moderately high heat until the seeds darken and the oil is orange, about 1 minute. Discard the seeds. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper and cook over moderate heat until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, tomato paste and chicken stock and simmer over moderate heat until the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• On a generously floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. With a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out as many rounds as possible (you should have about 24). Reroll the dough scraps and stamp out additional rounds if possible. Brush the excess flour off the rounds. Working with 1 round at a time and keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap, form the empanadas: Spoon 2 teaspoons of the filling on one side of the dough round. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Cover with plastic wrap while you form the remaining empanadas.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. In a deep skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil to 350°. Fry 4 empanadas at a time, turning once, until browned and crisp, 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a baking sheet. When all of the empanadas have been fried, reheat them in the oven and serve.
• MAKE AHEAD.
• The filled, uncooked empanadas can be frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to an airtight bag. Bake them in a 350° oven without thawing.
• NOTES.
• Alternatively, you can bake the empanadas: Preheat the oven to 350°. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Evenly space the uncooked empanadas on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper and brush with the egg wash. Bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.