Beef Empanadas with Spicy Chorizo Filling

Name: Beef Empanadas with Spicy Chorizo Filling
Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as an entrée
Cuisine: Latin America & Caribbean, Central & South American
Ingredients: 1 large slice, hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters; 2 tablespoons, low-sodium chicken broth; 1 pound, 85 percent lean ground chuck; , Table salt and ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon, olive oil; 6 ounces, Spanish chorizo or Portuguese linguiça, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup); 2 medium, onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups); 4 medium, garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons); 1 teaspoon, ground cumin; 1 tablespoon, ground chipotle chile pepper; 1 can, tomato sauce (14.5 ounces); 1/2 cup, packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped; 2 , hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped; 1/3 cup, raisins, coarsely chopped; 4 teaspoons, cider vinegar; 3 cups (15 ounces), unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface; 1 cup (5 ounces), masa harina (see note); 1 tablespoon, sugar; 2 teaspoons, table salt; 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks), unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled; 1/2 cup, cold vodka or tequila (see note); 1/2 cup, cold water; 5 tablespoons, olive oil (for baking empanadas)

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated May/June 2010

Main Courses

Latin America & Caribbean

Central & South American

Crisp pastry pockets stuffed with briny spiced beef and smoky chorizo make a savory, transportable lunch.

SERVES4 to 6 as an entrée

TIME2¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling and 45 minutes chilling

Beef Empanadas with Spicy Chorizo Filling

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Empanadas are a type of baked or fried turnover that can be found in many Latin American countries. The first step in our beef empanada recipe was to enhance packaged ground chuck with aromatics; spices; and a mixture of chicken broth and b...

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