Hello, hello, how are you doing? Today we're sharing a lovely recipe with you. It's the most classic recipe from northern Argentina: Empanadas Tucumanas , beloved by many. Please give us a round of applause.
We'll put up with it, right? Well, everyone will draw their own conclusions. I'll tell you in advance that we're not planning on adding olives ❌, raisins, or any of those weird (?) things people sometimes put in their food.
Let's find out the secret to the best empanadas in Tucumán, what the big difference is with empanadas from Salta , Jujuy, etc. And of course, we're going to make our own empanada dough. Because if we make it, we make it right.
Let's get started.
About Tucuman empanadas
What can't be missing in traditional Tucuman empanadas
Here's a heads-up: matambre is a fundamental part of Tucumán empanadas. Some say this is holy water and they can't be made any other way, the same goes for the 13 repulgues... well, let's get to that. But as you know, to make them truly Tucumán empanadas, we make them with matambre.
Another thing that can't be missed is the broth that gives all that characteristic juice to the empanada, this comes from the tenderizing process of the matambre, you can imagine that it is a broth that is delicious and we can't waste it.
How to tenderize beef matambre
You'll sometimes hear that this process is done with milk, but today we're going to tenderize our matambrito with broth. Otherwise, it won't be much use; we need it to release everything and leave us with a tasty broth to use later in our cooking.
So, instead of using milk, we prepare a broth in a (large) pot that fits all the matambre.
- The first step is to trim the fat from the matambre, removing all the excess fat from the top layer. Using a sharp knife will be very simple, and if a little remains, it's okay. Fat is flavor!
- We then place the matambre in the pot and cover it completely with the previously prepared broth. Season the top lightly with thyme, oregano, and rosemary.
- After this, we forget about it for a bit. We let it cook on low heat for at least 2 hours.
- After the time has passed, we turn off the heat, remove the matambre from the pot, and don't forget to reserve the broth for later.
Here's a video of Paulina tenderizing a matambre. We continue with the empanada mission.
The dough for our Tucuman empanadas
The dough for Tucumán empanadas is a different matter . By this I mean that the province makes the dough in a very particular way, following its own traditions. So, in order to accomplish today's task, we're going to make this dough in the traditional way.
In any case, we leave you with an easy recipe for empanada dough in an alternative way.
And if you don't feel like making them at home, you can buy ready-made empanada dough, the little bag they sell at the supermarket, and that's it. This depends on each person's desire.
How to make the dough for traditional empanadas
- Mix 500g of 0000 flour with 7g of salt and 75g of butter at room temperature.
- Knead lightly with your hands to mix the ingredients, forming a sandy mixture.
- Add 190 cc of warm water or the matambre broth and now knead until a smooth, homogeneous dough forms.
- Let it rest for 30 minutes covered.
- After the time has passed, all that's left to do is form the empanada covers. We cut the dough into 2 or 3 equal portions, make them into balls, then stretch the dough and cut it into circles 10 cm in diameter.
✔ Done.
Tucuman empanadas recipe
Ingredients for a dozen empanadas
- ½ kg of tenderized matambre.
- 200 gr. of fat (pork or whatever you prefer).
- ½ kg of onion.
- 2 eggs.
- Green onion.
- Salt.
- 1 and ½ tablespoons of paprika.
- ½ tablespoon of ground chili.
- ½ tablespoon of cumin.
- Matambre broth.
How to prepare authentic traditional Tucuman empanadas step by step
- In a frying pan over the heat, melt the fat.
- Once this is done, add the finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- After the time has elapsed, add the tenderized matambre, chopped into small pieces. Stir and add the paprika, cumin, and ground chili pepper along with the matambre broth. Remove from heat and let cool as much as possible.
- Meanwhile chop spring onion and boiled egg for final assembly.
- With the cold filling, spread out the empanada covers and place a spoonful of filling in the center of each one, along with a little egg and spring onion.
- Seal with a pleat and repeat the process with all the lids. Place them on a warm baking dish to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes.
