Baked Beef & Olive Empanadas

⏱ 75 min · Serves 6

Golden, flaky half-moons packed with spiced beef, sweet onion, briny green olives and jammy egg. Baked rather than fried, so they're easy enough for a weeknight but handsome enough for a party platter.

Per serving: 740 kcal · 31.0g protein · 50.0g carbs · 46.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 350g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 150g cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 90ml cold water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• For the filling:
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 500g beef mince
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 120ml beef stock
• 75g green olives, sliced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten, for glazing

Method

1. Make the dough: rub the butter into the flour and salt until coarse crumbs remain. Whisk the egg, water and vinegar, add to the flour and bring together into a shaggy dough. Knead briefly, flatten into a disc, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the onion and red pepper over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Add the mince, breaking it up, and brown for 6-8 minutes. Stir in the paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, oregano and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
4. Pour in the stock and simmer 5 minutes until nearly dry. Season well, then stir through the olives. Cool completely, then fold in the chopped egg.
5. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Roll the dough 3mm thick and cut out twelve 12cm circles, re-rolling scraps.
6. Spoon 2 heaped tablespoons of filling onto each circle, dampen the edge with water, fold over and seal. Crimp with a fork or twist a rope edge.
7. Arrange on two lined baking trays, brush with beaten egg and bake 25-28 minutes until deep golden. Rest 5 minutes before eating.