Tucuman’s Panini. Argentine recipe

How to make empanadas tucumanas .

Preparing the empanada recipe that I bring you today, has made me especially excited. I tell you about the traditional empanadas tucumanas, typical of the Argentine province of Tucuman.

I have to thank Jaime, an Argentine native from Tucuman, who has passed me the traditional recipe for this dish, one of the most emblematic in the area.

The fact of cooking a recipe from another country can always carry the risk of not making it exactly the same as in the territory itself. Thanks to Jaime I can bring you the recipe for the authentic Tucuman empanadas .

I have already got you used to the empanada world, although Argentine empanadas are not like Galician empanadas . These empanadas have as the only ingredients meat from matambre, onion, green onion or our spring onion, boiled eggs, cumin, paprika and a little cayenne as an option. All this is wrapped with a super rich dough made from flour, water and butter. The process is very simple and the result surprising.

Traditionally, the Tucuman empanada is so important in the province that every year the National Empanada Festival is held in Famaillá, where an important contest takes place to choose the best empanada.

The proportion of the ingredients, their distribution within the pie, the way to seal the dough and even the number of folds that are given to close it. These are factors that influence the jury’s verdict.

It is a very tasty snack, where a crispy dough contains a light and juicy filling . When made baked rather than fried like most of our pasties, these pasties are much lighter and easier to eat, so you will surely repeat.

Preparation of the filling of the Argentine empanadas tucumanas

1. We put the matambre in a saucepan and cover it with water. We cook the meat with a pinch of salt for about 60 minutes.
2. The meat must be very tender. We remove the meat from the casserole and save the broth.
3. We cut the meat with a sharp knife into small cubes, as small as possible, so that the meat is crumbled and we reserve it.
4. In a frying pan, heat a splash of olive oil and add the onion cut into small cubes. Fry until soft and transparent.
5. Add the meat, salt, ground cumin and cayenne and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
6. We remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika. We stir well so that it integrates with the rest of the ingredients and add 150 ml. of the meat cooking broth.
7. We put the pan back on the fire and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
8. While the filling cools, we prepare the rest. We cook the eggs, peel them and dice them. Peel the chives and cut into small cubes.
9. Add the chives and the chopped eggs to the meat mixture in the pan and stir to leave a uniform filling.

Preparation of the dough of the empanadas tucumanas

1. In the blog we have published the Argentine empanada dough to prepare the Creole empanadas, although it has some variation.
2. In a bowl add the flour. Melt the cow butter and pour it over the flour.
3. Add the water or the same amount of the meat cooking broth and begin to combine all the ingredients adding a pinch of salt.
4. We dump the dough on the kitchen counter and begin to work it until it is smooth and homogeneous.
5. We must knead until we have the fat well distributed throughout the mass, with about 5 minutes will be enough.

Final preparation and presentation of the empanadas tucumanas

1. We take a portion of about 60 gr. and we stretch it with a roller giving it a rounded shape.
2. We place the dough in the hollow of the hand and seal the edges of the sides pressing with the fingers, so that it is like a boat.
3. Fill the boat with two or three tablespoons of filling. With the tips of your fingers we press the edges of the dough to seal it.
4. Once sealed, we will fold it on itself until the edge is folded on itself. In the photographic step by step you can see how to do it easily.
5. We repeat the operation with all the dough and we leave the empanadas on a baking tray.
6. With the oven previously heated to 200ºC, we bake the empanadas for 20 minutes.
7. We remove the empanadas from the oven and let them temper to avoid burning.

The empanadas tucumanas are an easy bite to prepare and very tasty, you will surely like them.

You can see all the photos of the step by step recipe of empanadas tucumanas   in this album.

Tips for some delicious turkey empanadas

• It is a perfect recipe to take to your bus to work or to enjoy a picnic or beach without complications.
• On the blog we have published the Argentine empanada dough to prepare the Creole empanadas , another delicious option to prepare at home.