Mexican-Style Ground Meat Pockets (Empanadas)

Ingredients

• 0.5 cube fresh yeast (21 g)
• 180 ml lukewarm milk
• 1 pinch sugar
• 400 g flour
• Salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 100 g Soft Butter
• 1 onion
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small jalapeño
• 400 g mixed ground meat
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche (at least 30% fat)
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 0.5 bunch freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (as needed)
• 2 eggs (separated)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Crush the yeast and mix with milk and sugar. Combine flour with salt, place in a bowl, create a well in the center, add egg yolk, butter, and yeast mixture, then knead with dough hooks until smooth. Add more flour or milk if needed so the dough is not sticky but not crumbly. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with upper and lower heat. For the filling, peel and finely chop onion and garlic, sauté in hot oil. Halve the bell pepper, remove seeds and white membranes, wash, and finely chop along with jalapeños. Add to onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add ground meat and brown until crumbly. Season with salt and pepper.

3. 3.

   Mix crème fraîche with tomato paste and chopped parsley into the meat mixture. If too soft, add breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, roll out chilled dough on a floured surface to about 3 mm thickness and cut circles with a round cutter (12-15 cm diameter). Place filling in the center of each circle, brush edges with egg white, fold into half-moons, seal with a fork. Beat egg yolk with 1-2 tbsp water and brush over dough pockets. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve finished empanadas with salad and tortilla chips as desired.