Makes: 12

These beef empanadas made MasterChef’s best 100 recipes of the entire series and it’s not hard to see why once you’ve had them.

They are just completely moorish.

Maxydog (8) has even claimed them as his signature dish – our new king of rolling and folding puff pastry!

Last batch, we froze bags of three and every week, I dethawed a bag and wow, it is such a lux later morning snack.

Don’t skip on the frying. This is half the trick.

(And consider adding a chorizo, a pro-Nat trick.)

Ingredients

6 puff pastry sheets, thawed
Vegetable oil, for frying

Beef Filling

2 eggs
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
Salt flakes and freshly cracked pepper
300gm beef mince
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 1/2 tbsp beef stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 spring onion, green part only, finely chopped

Chimichurri

1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 c boiling water
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
Salt flakes and freshly cracked pepper
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small handful of chives, finely chopped

Method

1. For the beef filling, place the eggs in a small saucepan. Add enough water to the pan to cover the eggs by 2cm. Bring to the boil, then cook for 6 1/2 minutes. Drain and allow the eggs to cool. Peel and chop the boiled eggs. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the beef, paprika, oregano, chilli flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until the beef is cooked through. Remove from the heat and add the cumin and mustard, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool. Add the spring onion and chopped egg and mix through.
3. For the chimichurri, place the paprika, oregano, chilli flakes and chipotle in a bowl and pour in the boiling water. Stir, then leave to rehydrate for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley and chilli to the spice mixture, season with salt and pepper and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, olive oil and chives and stir to combine. Set aside.
4. To make the empanadas, using a 12cm round cookie cutter, cut out twelve rounds from the puff pastry sheets. Place a heaped tablespoon of beef filling on one side of each pastry round, leaving a 1.5cm space around the edge. Fold the dough over to create a semicircle, then seal by pressing the edges together, fold the sealed edge over again, pinching as you go to created a pleated border. Set aside on a tray and repeat this process until all the empanadas are prepared.
5. Preheat the vegetable oil to 200c in a deep fryer or large saucepan. Add the empanadas in batches to the hot oil, ensuring you don’t overcrowd the pan, and fry for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel.
6. Serve the empanadas hot, with a side of chimichurri.