Beef & Peanut Empanadas with Chimicchurri
This post comes to you thanks to a partnership with the Georgia Peanut Commission. You can learn more about the Georgia Peanut Commission by clicking here.
I love when recipe development takes me back to my travels. Not unlike my story behind these roasted peanuts, these empanadas take me back to another place that I was lucky enough to visit years ago: Argentina. I love a traditional empanada with beef, sweet raisins, briny green olives and that flaky crust…
My version, beef & peanut empanadas, are a nod to my visit to Argentina. Instead of green olives, I added pickled jalapeños for a kick of spiciness. The raisins are not optional, so I tossed some of golden variety in there. And then the crunch and meatiness from the Georgia Peanuts takes it to the next level. The flavor here is delicious but of course has to be kicked up with the addition of chimichurri sauce. If you’ve ever made chimichurri, you know it has a very short list of ingredients but TONS of flavor. That makes it a great recipe to have in your back pocket!
Filling your empanadas:
This is perhaps the trickiest part of this recipe. What it comes down to is making sure the dough is not too thin. I’ve used store-bought dough for this recipe and it works beautifully. But when you roll out each circle, take care to only roll out the edges. The middle should stay thicker so it can support the filling and so the empanadas won’t split open as they bake.
In the end, you’ll have a platter full of perfectly delicious empanadas and a zingy dipping sauce!
If I had a restaurant in Georgia you’d better believe I would have served this for Georgia Peanut Restaurant Week! I loved seeing all the photos from restaurants featuring 13 chefs from across the state to create special Georgia Peanut-inspired dishes for the first-ever Georgia Peanut Restaurant Week. I hope this becomes a yearly event because it is so fun to see how creative these chefs were!
For now, at least we have these empanadas.
Spicy Beef & Peanut Empanadas with Chimichurri
Makes 30-40 small empanadas
2 T olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup raw Georgia Peanuts
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon water
black pepper and salt to taste
2 packages store-bought pie crust (or two batches of homemade)
1 Egg white in a small bowl for assembly
For the chimichurri:
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, red pepper flakes, garlic, raisins, peanuts and jalapeños. Cook until the onion and garlic are soft and fragrant. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring the mixture to prevent burning. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the filling to a large bowl and allow to cool.
Put some water in a small bowl and set aside. Move a rack to the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Unroll your pie crust on a lightly floured work surface. Using a round cutter that is at least 3 inches in diameter, cut out rounds. If you use a 3 inch cutter, you’ll get between 8-10 circles.
Using a rolling pin, roll out only the edges of each circle, leaving the center of the circle at its original thickness. You’re basically increasing the size of your dough circle without making the center any thinner. If it gets too thin, it will break either during filling or baking, so take special care on this step.
Holding one round of dough in the palm of your hand, scoop about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center. Using the tip of your finger, line the edge of the dough with water, fold into a half moon shape, and pinch to seal. Fold the edges however you feel most comfortable. For extra ease, you can even use a fork.
Place filled empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg white.
Bake for 20-25 minutes on the upper rack.
While the empanadas bake, whip up your chimichurri: simply put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, pulse a couple of times, season to taste with salt and serve in a small bowl for dipping.
