Who’s feeling peckish?
You may already know one or two of the many Hispanic restaurants London has to offer, but what about venturing into your own cooking experience?
Coming from Argentina, I couldn’t stop myself writing about ‘empanadas’, a traditional dish in South America, Spain and Portugal that first appeared in medieval Iberia during the time of the Moorish invasions.
Since then empanadas have travelled along the world to become part of many cultures. The name comes from the Spanish verb ‘empanar’, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanadas can be great as part of a ‘tapas’ meal or served as snacks/appetizers with a dipping sauce like ‘chimichurri’. In fact in Buenos Aires no Saturday evening is complete without pizza and empanadas!
Which one shall we try?
The empanada filling is as limited as your own creativity. Every region has its own traditional recipe and it consist primarily of beef, but they may also contain ham and cheese, chicken, fish, humita (sweetcorn with white sauce) or spinach.
A fruit filling is used to create a dessert empanada and in restaurants where several types are served, a ‘repulgue’ or pattern is added to the pastry fold which distinguishes the filling.
While empanadas are usually baked, they can also be fried (my favourites)!
Beef empanadas are the most traditional type and I challenge you to try my mum’s recipe (see below!), which consists mainly of beef, onions, olives, chopped eggs and most importantly lot of love!!!
Method
- In a large frying pan, put the onions and garlic in oil and then add in the meat. Cook until slightly coloured.
- Incorporate all the spices, the olives and hard-boiled eggs. Leave it cool down for a few hours.
- Nowadays in Argentina, people rarely make the dough themselves, since it can be bought in any supermarket. If you want to avoid the hassle of making the dough yourself, you can buy pastry puff sheets and cut them into smaller disks. Check ‘La docta’ for authentic Argentinian dough and other traditional products.
- Add a spoonful of the filling is on the pastry disk, seal them (‘repulgue’) and be proud of yourself an empanada has been born!
- Place the empanadas on a baking tray. Bake them at 180 °C Electricity (fan) for 20′ until golden brown (for extra brilliance and taste, you can brush the empanadas with egg yolk).
But just in case you don’t feel like cooking and want to enjoy some delicious empanadas in an amazing Argentinian restaurant instead, then I recommend you go to ‘La Patagonia’ in Camden where you can find empanadas and other great Argentinian dishes as well!
And if you do decide to go, then email Rosie first because we can send you a 10% discount voucher 🙂
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Sounds yummy! Thanks for the recipe. And if you feel like cooking and need some Spanish ingredients, there is a good supermarket in Portobello
R Garcia and Sons
248-250 Portobello Rd, London W11 1LL
020 7221 6119
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=R+Garcia+and+Sons&ludocid=12761027166136281024&hl=en-GB#istate=kp:xpd
Mmmmm I am feeling peckish now ! Thanks very much for the information. I will definetly pop into Camden’s La Patagonia restaurant !
MMmm…
Qué buenas! I remember trying them in Borough Market, in a place called La Porteña.
That looks yummy! I love empanadas! Thank you Andi for the recipe! I am going to try it this weekend. I will let you know :-).
I have tried empanadas in the Duke of York Square Food Market near Sloane Square. I have also tried alfajores there. It is a delicious Argentinian sweet made with dulce the leche.
Andi! Why don´t you bring us alfajores recipe next time?
yummmmmmy!
Can’t wait to try them! 🙂
Made me hungry!!! I’ve never actually tried Empanadas (will do ASAP 🙂 ) They are similar to Italian Calzone (at least in principle) and even more similar to dumplings (Poland and Russia). The only difference seems to be the way to seal them-Empanadas look superb 🙂
Tengo que intentar cocinarlas una semana para nuestra clase!
OMG… I am trying this tonight!
Thanks for sharing your mum’s recipe! Mum’s recipes are always the best ones 😉
Thanks for the recipe Andi! I have been to La Patagonia a few times, it’s close to home and the food is so good!
I have been searching an easy and quick recipe for empanadas!!!
Thank you so much Andi!
PS: bye bye diet 😛
Yeahhhhh, that’s the spirit! Bye bye diet 🙂 🙂 🙂
This looks very yummy. I will try my hand at making these 🙂
Hi Andi, the empanadas sound amazing! I want to make some vegetarian ones and was wondering if you thought just a mix of vegetables would work or if I should use a vegetarian mince alternative?
Do people in Spain eat them too, or is it only in Argentina?
Hi Rosie,
Empanadas are also very popular in Spain!
You can definitely prepare vegetarian ones 🙂 🙂 🙂 Some possible fillings can be: spinach or corn with white sauce / cheese and onion / squash, corn and spinach. Have fun cooking them!!!
I must confess I’m not very good at cooking, so yesterday I decided to go to La Patagonia to try the delicious empanadas. Amazing! Tried chicken and vegetarian and both tasted great. And what can I say about the meat!! Mmmm Andi, I would love to read a blog about the Argentinian ‘asado’, such an amazing tradition!!!
Thanks Andi for the recipe and restaurant tip. I love empanadas, will definitely try your mums recipe!
Have made empanadas this evening, for the very first time, using puff pastry, vegetables and cheese. They were very easy to make and they tasted delicious, so thanks Andi for the recipe idea and for the inspiration. Don’t know if there will be any left for Tuesday’s class…
Here was me thinking you had to deep fry them! I’ll definitely try my hand at cooking some now. Thanks Andi!
Muchas gracias por la receta 🙂
¡No tengo un horno, pero quiero comer todos ellos! :)))
La excusa perfecta para visitar a tus amigos y usar su horno 🙂
Las empanadas son muy rico!
Y tambien son ricasssss 🙂 🙂 🙂
¡Ahh La Patagonia – gracias por el recordatorio! Quisiera ir allí a comer carne y beber vino malbec…
Tengo que ir a La Patagonia pronto Andi, y probar las empanadas. Hace poco regresé de Asturias y disfruté de la fabada asturiana. Es posible comer en Londres en el restaurante El Molino de Holloway Road.
O dios mio! Las empanadas son muy muy ricas!
AREPA
Es una pan plano, lleva masa de maiz molido, o harina cocida en la cocina de Colombia y Venezuela. Se come con carne, pollo, queso, aguacate y otra cosas o como un bocadillo.
INGREDIENTES
Dos y medios tazas de agua, un cucharilla de sal, dos tazas de harina precocida de maiz blanco u cuarto de taza de aceite vegetal
RECETA
1. Revuelva el agua y la sal en un tazón. Poco a poco agregue la harina de maíz en el agua con los dedos hasta formar una masa suave
2. Dividir la masa en ocho bolas pequeñas y acariciar a cada uno de ellos en una empanada tan grueso como quieras
3. Calentar aceite en una sartén a fuego medio hasta que esté caliente. Trabajo en grupos , cocinar las empanadas hasta que estén dorados ( 5 minutos por cada lado )
4. Cortar la mitad de cada pastel horizontalmente para formar una bolsa. Cosas con cualquier relleno que quieras.
Un restaurante donde se pueden degustar las arepas: Arepa & Co – 58A De Beauvoir Cres, London N1 5SB
Disfrutar !
AREPA
Es una tortilla plana ( pan plano puede ser… Pero para mí el pan está elaborado con harina de trigo), lleva masa de maiz molido, o harina PRE-cocida.(aquí tienes que poner un punto porque una cosa es de que está hecha y otra su origen) Es típica en la cocina Colombiana y Venezolana. Se come con carne, pollo, queso, aguacate y otraS cosas o como un bocadillo.
INGREDIENTES
Dos tazas y media de agua, un cucharilla de sal, dos tazas de harina precocida de maiz blanco o ( u no se usa a menos que la próxima palabra empiece con o) cuarto de tazaS de aceite vegetal
RECETA
1. Revuelva el agua y la sal en un tazón. Poco a poco agregue la harina de maíz en el agua con los dedos hasta formar una masa suave
2. Dividir la masa en ocho bolas pequeñas y acariciar a cada una de ellas en forma de tortilla tan gruesa como quieras
3. Calentar aceite en una sartén a fuego medio hasta que esté caliente, cocinar las empanadas hasta que estén doradas por ambos lados ( 5 minutos por cada lado )
4. Cortar la mitad de cada AREPA horizontalmente para formar una bolsa. Rellenalas con cualquier contorno que quieras.
Un restaurante donde se pueden degustar las arepas: Arepa & Co – 58A De Beauvoir Cres, London N1 5SB
Buen provecho !
No conzco ese restaurante de Holloway Road. Tengo que ir un día. ¡Gracias por la recomendación, Richard!
Mmmm ¡Qué buena pinta tienen las areas, Sylvester! Muchísimas gracias por tu receta. Un saludo