Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Empanadas

I have been making empanadas over the years since I was a kid. I have used quote a few different recipes for the filling and the pastry, always with delicious results. Below is my recipe for empanadas that I have revised from various earlier recipes. I have combined this with Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for peanut-mango sambal sauce from his book, New American Table (a truly great cookbook). I used my own recipe for the pastry and filling since his contains pork, which I don't eat.  These beef empanadas were delicious and went nicely with the nutty, yet tart and fruity sauce.

Sasha's Beef Empanada Filling
2/3 lb lean ground beef
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup raisons
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, diced


Sasha's Empanada Dough
1 cup skim milk
three small packages (about one ounce) dry active yeast
1 T butter, melted
1/4 cup of cold water (approximate)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar


Marcus Samuelsson's Peanut Mango Sambal
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp coriander
3 T unsalted, roasted, skinless peanuts
2 birds eye chilis, crumbled
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup coconut milk
2 T sugar
1/2 T fish sauche
1 mango, pitted and chopped into cubes

First, warm the milk in the microwave a bit. Add the sugar and the dry active yeast, and let rest until it becomes foamy and yeast activates, about ten minutes. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Form a well and add the liquid with the yeast. Add the water and butter (melted) as well and combine into a dough.  Knead dough until smooth, to get rid of any lumps. Allow to rise in a well-oiled bowl (covered) for about an hour.

While the dough is risking, prepare the filling. Saute the onion in olive oil and mix in the spices, beef and other ingredients. Cook until the beef is done and the mixture is combined and flavorful.

Using a square shaped cookie cutter, roll out the dough and cut into 3 inch squares. Fill with a teaspoon or so of the empanada filling and pinch to form a triangle. Seal, and brush with an egg white. Bake for 30 minutes or so at 325, until lightly browned.

To make Marcus's sambal to serve these, combine the garlic and coriander with a mortar and pestle. Add the peanuts, after pulverizing them in a food processor. Cook at medium heat in a pan until golden. Add the fresh ginger, ground ginger, coconut milk, and sugar. bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a blender, and add the fish sauce and the mango. Puree until smooth and serve as a dipping sauce for the empanadas.  Alternatively, if you prefer a lumpier texture, you can just stir in the mango cubes like Marcus suggests.

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Empanadas

Michelle’s Kitchen in Toronto: South American-Inspired Sausage and Vegetable Ragout

My cravings for meat continue with this dish inspired by the wonderful Columbian chorizo I bought at Segovia Meat Market (218 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2L6
(416) 593-9904) in Kensington Market that’s been hanging out in my freezer for a few weeks. The ingredient list is long, but well worth the effort, another one of my food experiments gone right!

South American-Inspired Sausage and Vegetable Ragout

2 tsp olive oil

¼ red bell pepper sliced into short strips (or use a half if you don’t like the green peppers)

¼ green bell pepper sliced into short strips

1-2 carrots peeled and diced (use two if they are small)

1 sausage link diced (use chorizo or another Latin/Spanish-inspired sausage with lots of flavour)

3 stems green onion, chopped fine (this is again leftovers from the great Fish Fragrant Eggplants, but you could dice up half an onion and simply toss in the pan with the carrots if you prefer)

¼ c chicken broth

1 bay leaf

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp garlic powder

1/8 – ¼ tsp chipotle powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp taco sauce (I used Old El Paso’s Mild version)

Heat the oil in the pan at a medium heat. As I don’t have the greatest pan in the world, I also used some cooking spray to help the oil. Once hot, add the carrots, bay leaf, and a little salt to bring out the flavour; sauté. If you are using diced onion instead of the green onions, add them at this point. Sauté until they start to lose their rawness and add the peppers. Sauté a few minutes and add the other seasonings while this is happening and stir. After a minute or two, add the diced sausage. Cook until it is mostly cooked and add taco sauce; stir. Add the chicken broth and scrap the flavour bits from the bottom of the pan. This creates a nice sauce and cooks the sausage. Serve with some nice basmati rice and enjoy!

I didn’t have garlic in the house today so I used the powder, however if you are using fresh and want to omit the powder, add the garlic about a minute before you add the taco sauce. This is a great dish to make just because, or to help clean out your fridge. I had some cooked leftover rice from a curry I made so I just stirred that right in at the end to warm it!

Michelle’s Kitchen in Toronto: South American-Inspired Sausage and Vegetable Ragout