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Empanadas Argentine

A pastry filled with apple or steak, baked until golden.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Empanadas Argentine

Oven350°F (175°C)

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.

  2. Cut in the shortening until pieces are the size of small peas.

  3. Add a small amount of water to slightly moisten.

  4. Form dough into a ball.

  5. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into 4-inch circles.

  6. Lightly flour both sides of circles.

Make the filling

  1. In a saucepan, combine fruit, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

  2. Heat over medium heat until hot, thoroughly mixing.

  3. In a medium skillet, saute the onion and green pepper in olive oil.

  4. Add tomato paste, water, and vinegar, and cook for 20 minutes.

  5. Add meat and coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Assemble and bake

  1. Place a large spoonful of one of the above mixtures to the center of a dough circle.

  2. Place another circle on top.

  3. Fasten the two circles together by pressing the edges with a fork.

  4. Bake in a preheated 350°F (175°C) until golden brown.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1188Calories
43 gProtein
43 gFat
157 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 14 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,598 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  3. Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour
Forms the dough's structure once moistened and worked into a ball.
Shortening
Cut into the flour to create flaky layers as it stays solid until baking.
Apples
Provide sweet, fruity moisture to the filling as they cook with sugar.
Tomato paste
Concentrates savory, tangy flavor and thickens the meat filling.
Lean steak
Supplies the savory meat base of the filling.
White sugar
Sweetens the fruit filling and helps it caramelize slightly as it heats.

The step that matters

Cut in the shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Solid fat pieces melt and steam during baking, leaving pockets that make the pastry flaky. If the fat is over-blended into the flour, the crust turns tough and dense.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, apple, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, olive):

  1. Sweet potatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Parsnipfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, apple, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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