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Empanadas II

Empanadas are fried pastry pockets filled with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, onions, olives, and hard‑boiled egg.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Empanadas II

Time4 to 5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan.

  2. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until soft and golden, adding garlic during the last minute or so.

  3. Add tomatoes, beef, and salt.

  4. Simmer for 20 minutes until almost dry.

  5. Remove from heat and add parsley, egg, and olives. Mix well.

Shape and fry

  1. Roll out pastry on a floured board to 1/8‑inch thickness.

  2. Cut 12 4‑inch circles from each piece.

  3. Place 1 teaspoon filling on each circle and moisten dough around the edge with water.

  4. Fold over and seal edges well.

  5. Deep‑fry in 375‑degree oil for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp.

  6. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1228Calories
56 gProtein
55 gFat
124 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 14 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Olive1 large (4g)4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pastrynot in our table0
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. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Tomato + beeftop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,448 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Flour
Forms the structure of the pastry that holds the filling when sealed and fried.
Butter
Adds fat that makes the pastry tender and flaky rather than tough.
Ground beef
Provides the main savory filling, giving body and rich flavor to the empanadas.
Onion
Softens and browns while cooking, adding sweetness and savory depth to the filling.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and acidity that cook down into the seasoned filling.
Egg
Adds richness and body to the filling once chopped and mixed in.

The step that matters

Cook the filling until almost dry. If the filling stays wet, moisture soaks into the pastry and can make it soggy or cause it to burst open during frying. Simmering until almost dry concentrates flavor and keeps the sealed empanadas intact.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, milk, onion, garlic, tomato, beef):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Oreganofits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, milk, onion, garlic, tomato, beef. 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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