Mark Moriarty: Cook Like a Chef airs Wednesdays at 8pm on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
Makes 6 large empanadas
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 400g beef mince : 5% fat
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 100g button mushrooms, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 3 tbsp green olives, diced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 500ml beef stock
- 50ml Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100g grated cheddar cheese
- 2 sheets ready-made puff pastry
- 2 eggs mixed with 50ml milk for eggwash
For the chimichurri:
- Handful parsley
- Handful fresh coriander
- 1 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 100ml olive oil
- Zest and juice of half a lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Start by making your empanada filling, place a large non-stick pan on the heat, add the vegetable oil and beef mince and take your time to get as much colour as possible on the mince.
- After about 5 minutes, add the onion, garlic, mushroom, pepper, olives, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, pepper, and tomato puree and cook for another 4-5 minutes until all the water has evaporated and the mix is sticking to the base of the pan.
- Add the stock and Worcestershire sauce, then using a wooden spoon, scrape all the crispy bits from the base of the pan.
- Once the liquid has reduced to a glaze, place the mix in a bowl, cover, and allow the mix to chill in the fridge.
- Once cold, fold the grated cheddar through the mix.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200c and place a baking tray in there to heat up.
- To create the empanadas, cut the pastry into 6 large circles. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface lightly with the egg wash.
- Carefully add the beef filling in the centre of the pastry circles. Fold the pastry into half-moon shapes, sealing the filling inside. Using the back of a fork, pinch the exterior of the pastry for added security. If the empanadas are too high, you can flatten them lightly with the back of your hand.
- Place the finished empanadas on individual parchment sheets and store in the fridge until ready to cook.
- To make the chimichurri, add all the ingredients to a blender and blend to a thick paste. Check the seasoning and set aside.
- Place the empanadas on the preheated oven tray and cook for 25 minutes at 200c until dark golden brown and crispy. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve on a large sharing plate with chimichurri.
