Empanadas are of course made in many Spanish influenced countries, but these Beef Empanadas Panama Style are among the best versions of the tasty meat pie you will ever come across.

(Photo Attributed to Author: Stu Spivack)

Beef Empanadas Panama Style Recipe-

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. already prepared pie crust dough
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 small sweet bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. Spanish paprika
• 1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 to 2 eggs, beaten until a little frothy
• Mexican style fire roasted red salsa, for garnish (you might want both mild and hot, for each person’s preference)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high flame and fry the beef until browned all over; drain off the grease.
3. Add and stir in all the rest of the ingredients, salt and pepper to taste, cover the skillet, reduce heat to just a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes.
4. After half an hour, remove the bay leaf and do a taste test. Adjust seasonings if necessary. If the mixture is too soupy, stir in a bit of flour and cook just long enough more to thicken it up nicely.
5. Divide the dough into fourths and form them into balls. On a lightly floured flat surface, roll the balls out int rounds about 1/8th inch thick. (Note: this is for large, main course-sized empanadas. For appetizer size, divide the dough into eighths. And for the next step, cut the amount of filling in half.)
6. On the center of each round, put about 2 tablespoons of filling. Spread the filling out a little from one end to the other (but not in all directions). Taking the two opposite sides of the dough that are not covered with filling, fold them over the filling and squeeze the “half-moon” shaped pie tight together. Flute the seamed edge with a fork.
7. Brush the tops with the beaten egg, dust tops with a little salt (optional), and bake at 400 degrees until the crust is a nice, rich golden brown.
8. Serve your Beef Empanadas Panama Style nice and warm with a salad on the side and some Spanish salsa as a condiment.

Note: This recipe is taken from our Central American Cuisine pages. For lots more delicious, authentic and traditional dishes from Central America, click here.

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