← Nouns Cooking · Caribbean

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 60 g cold butter, cubed
• 1 Eggs
• 90 ml ice-cold water (about)
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 400 g Minced beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ Bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 120 ml tomato sauce or passata
• 8 pimiento-stuffed olives, chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp Dried oregano
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 l neutral oil, for frying

Method

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, rub in the butter until sandy, then add the egg and enough cold water to form a smooth dough. Knead briefly, wrap and chill for 30 min.
2. For the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the beef for 6–8 min. Add the onion, pepper, garlic and coriander and cook for 4 min.
3. Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, cumin, oregano and salt and simmer for 10 min, until thick and almost dry. Cool completely.
4. Roll the dough out to 3 mm and cut out 12 cm circles, rerolling the scraps. Put 2 tbsp filling on one half of each, wet the edge, fold over and press closed with a fork.
5. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175°C (350°F) and fry 3–4 at a time for 3–4 min per side, until puffed, blistered and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.

Tips

• Short on time? Use ready-made empanada discs (discos) from the freezer aisle.
• For a baked version, brush with beaten egg and bake at 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F) until golden.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Kitchen Gidget Taste the Islands