Food: Beef Empanadas Argentinian Style

There is a place in the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, that I think serves the best Empanadas – El Porteno. I’m only saying this because I haven’t been to Argentina, nor elsewhere outside of the country that serve up this specialty. The trouble is, I cannot have just one. So I order half a dozen and keep them at work to indulge one a day for the week. Okay, sometimes two a day – you know on a foggy cold day when one is needing all the comfort in great food ;).

Anyway – I figured it’s about time I learned how to make them at home and this recipe is pretty easy to follow:

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1½ pounds ground beef (20% fat)
2 onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded, chopped
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup raisins
3 packages (12 each) Puff Pastry Dough for Turnovers/Empanadas (preferably Goya)
½ cup pitted green olives (Picholine or Spanish), rinsed well, cut in half lengthwise {more}