One of the joys of travel is trying new foods. In Buenos Aires, I had an amazing pastrami empanada at El Chiri de Villa Kreplaj, a restaurant that combines Ashkenazi, Sephardic and other Jewish foods with Argentinian favorites. The memory of that savory pastry inspired this recipe.
Argentinian pastrami (called pastrón) is brined, sliced and roasted (not smoked) and usually sliced thin, but in the empanada it was cut into small chunks and combined with caramelized onions.
Here’s my version of pastrami empanadas with chimichurri sauce. Ask at the deli counter for unsliced pastrami in one piece. Serve the empanadas with chimichurri sauce, mustard or purchased or homemade z’hug.
Freeze unbaked empanadas and bake without thawing for 30-35 minutes.
Pastrami Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce
Makes 10 appetizer-size empanadas
Pastrami Filling
- 4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
- 3 cups thinly sliced onions
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ¼ tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 4 oz. unsliced pastrami, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbs. chopped pimento-stuffed green olives, optional
Empanada Dough
- ½ cup grapeseed, canola or other neutral oil, plus additional for greasing
- ½ cup warm water (80-90 degrees)
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- About 2 cups all-purpose flour
Assembly and Serving
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water
- Purchased or homemade chimichurri sauce (see below)
Filling: Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and ¼ tsp. salt. Reduce heat to medium low. Sauté, stirring often, until onions are caramelized (golden brown), very soft and reduced by half, adjusting heat as needed (40-50 minutes).
Remove onions from pan. Add 1 Tbs. olive oil to pan over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic 1-2 minutes until golden. Stir in paprika, cumin, black pepper, pastrami, ¼ cup water and ¼ cup red wine vinegar. Bring to simmer. Simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is thickened and coats bottom of pan. Take off heat. Coarsely chop reserved caramelized onions. Stir into pastrami. Place in airtight container with the thickened liquid. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Once cold, stir in olives, if using, and remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Keep refrigerated until assembly.
Dough: In a large bowl, combine oil, water, salt and baking powder. Stir in 1 cup of flour. Mix in remaining flour in batches only until a soft dough ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Assembly and baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease large baking sheet.Roll dough into 10 balls, each 1½ inchs in diameter. Flatten one (keep others covered) and stretch with fingers into 4-inch circle. Place a tablespoon of chilled filling in middle of circle. Brush egg wash on half of edge of circle. Fold other edge over filling, making a half moon, and press down against egg-washed edge. Press to seal edges tight against filling. Use tines of fork to crimp and further seal. Lightly poke fork once in top of pastry to vent.
Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat. Brush tops and sides of empanadas with egg wash. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve warm with chimichurri sauce.
Sauce: In a food processor, finely chop 5 large garlic cloves and 1 large, dried bay leaf. Add 1 cup parsley leaves and ½ cup cilantro leaves. Finely chop. Add 1 tsp. crumbled dried oregano leaves, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. cayenne or paprika, ½ tsp. ground cumin and ½ tsp. ground black pepper. Process until just combined. Transfer to a jar. Stir in ¾ cup red wine vinegar, ½ cup olive oil and ¼ cup water. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Best made several hours ahead. Shake before using.