Empanadas with Steak and Mushrooms Recipe from the Perfect Empanada
Get 100 recipes from eighty small food and drink businesses in the Sam Adams Our American Dream Cookbook.
Our American Dream Cookbook.
Last year, I helped judge the local competition for the Sam Adams Brewing the America Dream pitch contest at Hope & Main in Warren. The original field of ten contestants was narrowed down to one winner, Ramon and Frances Hinds of Orisirisi Spice of Life pepper sauces, who won a $10,000 cash prize after party-goers cast a vote for their favorite business of two finalists. The Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream philanthropic program provides mentorship, coaching and funding to food and beverage entrepreneurs across the United States.
Even though that contest only declared one winner, six of those businesses that have competed in the competitions over the years were asked to be a part of a cookbook called Our American Dream Cookbook. The Rhode Island-based small businesses that are featured include Aura’s Chocolate Bar, JA Patty, Orisirisi Spice of Life, Little Maven Lemonade, The Perfect Empanada and Fieldstone Kombucha. Most of these businesses got their start at Hope & Main’s incubator kitchen, which helps provide the commercial kitchen equipment, food safety requirements and marketing and packaging expertise that helps new businesses get off the ground.
The Our American Dream Cookbook includes more than 100 recipes from eighty small businesses all over the United States that competed in the Sam Adams Brewing the America Dream pitch contest. The book not only spotlights one specialty recipe from each food business, but also tells their inspiring story. Many of the recipes are also paired with the perfect beer pairing.
Jennifer Glanville Love, director of partnerships and collaborations at Boston Beer Company, has traveled the country meeting small business owners, and she helped to organize and produce the cookbook. “It’s been my privilege all these years working with Brewing the American Dream to see firsthand the power, vision and determination of our country’s brightest food and beverage entrepreneurs,” she says. “Our deepest hope is that each recipe within this book leaves the reader with a full belly, an even fuller heart and the inspiration to do what they love.”
Our American Dream Cookbook is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores across the nation.
The Perfect Empanada.
Here’s one recipe from the book:
Empanadas with Steak and Mushrooms from the Perfect Empanada
Empanadas — small turnovers popular in Latin America, Spain, and other countries — are a great portable feast and perfect for picnics, potlucks, tailgates or simply sharing at home while watching a big game. Pablo Mastandrea is their number one fan and made it his mission to craft the perfect empanada. His quest resulted in The Perfect Empanada, where he serves up gourmet empanadas in Warren, Rhode Island. This Argentinian-style steak and mushroom version is enriched with Malbec wine, the country’s most widely planted red grape variety. Baking instead of frying makes it a healthier option, plus it uses premade dough, making it a great recipe for beginners. Be sure to chill the filling before using to bring out the full richness of its flavors.
Makes 14 to 18 empanadas
8 ounces beef sirloin tip steak
Fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1½ red onions, finely chopped
8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, stem ends trimmed, then thinly sliced
1/3 cup dry red wine, preferably Argentinian Malbec
2 (8-ounce) jars chimichurri sauce, divided
Freshly ground pepper
14 to 18 frozen empanada dough disks, about 5 inches in diameter
1 large egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons water, for egg wash
To cook the steak, season it all over with salt. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the steak and sear, turning once, until well browned on both sides and cooked to medium-rare, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steak into ½-inch pieces and set aside.
To make the filling, in the same pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Return the steak to the pan, stir to combine, and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until well mixed, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom, for 3 to 4 minutes to simmer off the alcohol. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 jar of the chimichurri sauce. Let sit for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours before assembling the empanadas.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
To assemble the empanadas, lay out the empanada dough disks on a work surface. Divide the chilled filling evenly among the disks, spooning it in the center of each disk (about 1 tablespoon per empanada). Brush the edge on half of each disk with the egg wash, then fold over the disk to form a half-moon. Using your fingers, press the edges together firmly, then, using a fork, crimp the edges. Arrange the empanadas on the prepared sheet pan and brush the tops with the remaining egg wash.Bake the empanadas until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 165°F.) Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then serve warm with the remaining chimichurri sauce for dipping
