Empanadas de Carne

I love sports. I love to play sports and I love to watch sports on TV. Well, I can't get motivated with the French/English/Spanish soccer national Ligues but I do enjoy Wold/European Cups games or whenever there is an international competition (boxing excepted). When young, one of my dreams was to compete in the Olympics (why not?). I was doing track&field back then and clearly remember Carl Lewis at the 1984 games in L.A. When I quickly realized that my athlete career was not going to happen because of wrong DNA héritage, I thought that organizing the Olympics could me another way to be part of the international sport scene. While still not impossible, I do think that my best chance at the Olympics these days is to go and watch them live! In the meantime, I watch other international competitions and still try to understand the rules of baseball, American football and hockey!! And yes, I try to exercise!
The Soccer World Cup is currently taking place in South Africa. I won't comment on the mediocre and scandalous performance of the French team; one of the semi-finals (Netherlands -Uruguay) is taking place today and I'll be watching together with my dad. Growing up eating in front of the TV was interdit in our family unless there were national elections results.... and it's still de rigueur today. Too bad because I have a few good recipes of things to serve! One of them are empanadas, a traditional fast food of Argentina (Colombian empanadas are different). My husband and I were fortunate to travel to Argentina a few times in the past. For lunch, we would always order empanadas and the best we ever ate were at our friend G. in Las Varillas. Now we make them and serve them for dinner, together with a salade verte. They are a great alternative to pizza or quiche Lorraine and always a hit among our children. A perfect dish to serve at a picnic or when there is a good game to watch! Bon Appétit!

Ingredients 
(for about 12 medium-size empanadas)
- 350 gr (12.3 oz) flour
- 150 gr (5.3 oz) butter
- 12cl milk
- 500 gr (17.6oz) ground beef
- 2 large onions, minced
- 1 pinch of Cayenne pepper
- 2 eggs + 1 yolk
- 30 gr (1oz) raisins
- 8 green olives, pitted and sliced
- 30 gr (1oz) pine nuts
- 1/2 cup of tomato sauce
- olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste


To make the dough:

• Pour the flour and 1 ts of salt in a large bowl.
• Add the butter, cut into small pieces and mix with your fingers
• Slowly pour the milk and mix with your fingers : the dough  should be soft but not sticky.
• Make a ball with the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for one hour in the fridge.

To make the filling:

• Hardboil the eggs and when warm, cut them in small pieces
• In a pan, over medium heat, saute the onions
• Add the meat, salt, Cayenne pepper and raisns. Lower the heat and cook until the meat is fully cooked. Remove from the stove.
• Then add the tomato sauce, olives, and pine nuts.
• Finish by adding the egg pieces.

Asssemble:

• Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F) and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Roll out the dough thinly (about 3mm)
• With a round mold (or a bowl) make circles, about 12 cm in diameter
• Fill them on one half with a spoon or two of meat
• Cover with the other half and close, using water to seal the dough. Use a fork to mark the edges.
• Lay all the empanadas on the parchment paper and brush them with the egg yolk
• Bake in the oven for about 10 mns or until golden brown
• Eat warm with a salad, adding hot pepper sauce if you like, Chimichurri would be best.