In my search for authentic empanada recipes on the internet I ended up on the web log of Rebecca Caro, From Argentina With Love. On her web log she writes about Argentinean people, its traditions and cuisine. She started something called “empanada of the month”. From her web log I got this recipe.

Augusts’ Empanada-of-the-Month brings us Empanadas Santiagueñas, from the northern province of Santiago del Estero. The main difference compared with other empanadas is that the meat used is chopped rather than ground, there’s more spice, and there’s a sweet element added with the addition of raisins. They are positively delicious–buttery dough filled with spicy, sweet, and the flavorful tenderloin used in these empanadas make them very special. I got this recipe from a volume written by the venerable Doña Petrona. At 800-something pages, it’s all-inclusive and almost biblical in its proportions the handbook for Argentinean housewives. But I did update some of the things in the recipe. The original directed that lots of lard be used in cooking the onion, I omitted the lard and instead sauteed the onion in butter, adding flavor but not the same amount of fat. The recipe also directed me to boil the tenderloin to cook it, I found that lightly browning the meat in a frying pan lead to a better flavor for such a good cut of meat. If you can afford the tenderloin, get it. It’s the preferred cut of meat for Empanadas Santigueñas.

 Empanadas Santiagueñas

Empanadas from Santiago del Estero 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon of water with salt
• 1 pound beef tenderloin (or similar, less expensive cut)
• salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• raisins
• hard boiled egg
• beaten egg
• tapas (discos) for empanadas (store-bought or your own recipe from scratch)

 Preparation:

In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slightly. Before it browns, add the paprika, crushed red pepper, and the spoon of water and salt. Let cook for a minute and then turn off the heat and let cool. The onions should be a little soft, but not browned or even translucent. Cut the tenderloin into bite-sized cubes and brown slightly in another frying pan over medium heat. Leave the center slightly rare, since they will be baked. Remove from heat and add salt, cumin, vinegar and crushed red pepper. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the tapas for empanadas on a lightly floured surface.  Sprinkle flour on a cookie sheet or round pizza pan. Put one teaspoon of the meat and one tablespoon of the onion, 3-4 raisins, and a piece of hard-boiled egg. Dip your finger in a cup of water, and wet the edges of the empanada round slightly with your finger. Fold the empanada over and seal tightly, cupping the filling in your hands while sealing the dough. Then seal around the edges of the empanada using the repulgue technique.  Place each empanada on the floured baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the dough is a nice golden color.