Empanadas de Carne

Method

Pastry is a colombian-cuisine workhorse — butter lamination without the folds. Rub cold diced butter into flour and salt until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs; the cold fat creates steam pockets that give you flake without sheets of dough. Mix in the egg yolk, then add warm water a splash at a time until the dough just comes together — you want soft and slightly tacky, not dry. Wrap and chill 30 minutes minimum. This rest lets the gluten relax and the fat solidify again, both essential for a tender crust that won't tear when you seal the half-moons.

While the dough sets, build the filling. Dice the onion finely and sauté it in a wide pan over medium heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Raise the heat slightly, crumble in the beef mince, and break it apart with a wooden spoon — you're after small, even pieces, not lumps. Once no pink remains, stir in the tomato paste and crushed cumin seeds. The acid in the paste denatures the meat proteins and deepens flavour; cumin's oils bloom in the residual heat. Simmer 10 minutes uncovered. The mixture should reduce to a thick, almost jammy paste that clings to the spoon. This concentration is the difference between a soggy empanada and one with distinct, assertive seasoning. Let it cool completely — warm filling softens pastry and risks bursting seams. Fold in the chopped black olives and diced hard-boiled egg just before assembly.

Roll the chilled dough thin — about 2 mm — between sheets of baking parchment. Cut 10 cm circles with a cutter. Place 2 teaspoons of filling slightly off-centre on each round. Fold into a half-moon, then use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges firmly; this seals the filling and creates the colombian-cuisine signature fluted edge.

Heat oil to 170°C in a deep pan — a piece of bread should brown in 60 seconds. Fry the empanadas in batches, no crowding. They should turn deep gold in 3 to 4 minutes total, rotating once. The pastry will sound hollow and crisp when tapped. Drain on paper towel and serve warm; the filling stays molten inside for at least 15 minutes.