Argentinean-Inspired Beef Mini Empanadas

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper , Optional
• 1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
• 0.5 cups green olives , pitted and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika , or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin , or to taste
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 large hard-boiled eggs , coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare filling: Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large, nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add olives, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in chopped eggs.

2. 2

   Scrape mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, 1 to 2 hours; this ensures the dough will not be soggy when the empanadas are baked.

3. 3

   Prepare dough: Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. 4

   Whisk cold water, egg, and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour into the dry ingredients and blend with a fork. Use your hands to finish blending the ingredients until they come together in a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. 5

   When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

6. 6

   Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut circles, rerolling the scraps as necessary. I got about 18 circles.

7. 7

   Hold each circle in your hand and place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Gently fold the ends over the top and press to seal all the way around. Reserve extra filling for another use.

8. 8

   Set empanadas on a baking sheet. Press around the sealed edges with a fork if desired.

9. 9

   Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on the bottoms, about 18 minutes. Flip and bake until the other side is browned, about 5 more minutes.