Beef Empanadas, Australian Avocado & Charred Jalapeño Salsa
Pete Townsend –
Chef Notes
- Avocado emulsifies beautifully with lime and charred jalapeño, creating a salsa that’s rich, vibrant and full of depth
- Its mild flavour lets the heat and smoke of the jalapeño come through while providing the creamy base that holds everything together
- Avocado is the reason this salsa hits that perfect balance of zesty, creamy and spicy
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe Avocado
- 2 jalapeños, charred and deseeded
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- Salt to taste
Empanada dough (makes 15–20 mini empanadas):
- 375g plain flour
- 5g salt
- 115g cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg
- 130g cold water
- 10g white vinegar
Empanada filling:
- 500g premium beef mince
- 1 large Dutch cream potato, diced
- 1 capsicum, finely diced
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, microplaned
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for cooking
- Small handful of chopped coriander
Preparation
- Season the jalapeños and char until heavily blistered. Set aside to cool slightly before deseeding.
- Peel and blend the avocado using a stick blender.
- Add the lime juice, salt and chopped coriander.
- Finely dice the charred jalapeño and fold through the emulsified avocado mix.
Empanada dough:
- Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the cold butter in using your fingers or a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Beat the egg with the cold water and vinegar, then mix into the flour until a dough forms, adding a little more water if needed.
- Knead until smooth, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll out to around 5mm and cut into medium discs.
Empanada filling:
- Fry beef mince in small clusters to form a good crust, then remove from the pan.
- Add the diced potato to the same pan and fry for 5–8 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add capsicum, shallot and garlic and cook gently with a little olive oil.
- Add the spices and salt and continue cooking until the potato is cooked through.
- Add the beef back in, mix well and remove from heat.
- Mix through the chopped coriander and allow to cool completely before filling the empanadas.
- Fill the dough discs, crimp to seal and fry at 180°C until golden brown.
Presentation:
- Arrange mini empanadas on the plate.
- Spoon or pipe the Avocado jalapeño salsa alongside.
- Garnish with extra coriander if desired.
