Empanada – Argentinian Onion and Cheese Empanada

Ingredients Needed

For the Dough

2 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
8 tbsp Butter (chilled and cubed) – (1 stick)
1/2 cup Water Cold
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
For the filling

1 cup Onions
3/4 cup cheese (I used cheddar)
1 tsp Oregano (dried)
2 tsp Crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Cooking Oil

To Assemble the Empanadas
Heavy cream or milk – to brush the empanadas
Sesame Seeds – to sprinkle

How to make the Empanadas 

To make the Empanada dough / outer cover

In a large bowl, measure the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Add the chilled and cubed butter and combine them well until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Slowly add the cold water until a stiff dough forms.
Divide the dough into 2 halves and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or at least for 3 hours.

To make the filling

Heat a nonstick pan with oil, saute the onion till done. Add the salt, crushed red pepper and the oregano. Cook for few minutes. Let it cool then add in some grated cheese.

To assemble the Empanadas

Remove the refrigerated dough and roll it into a thin circle.
Cut out about 3 inches wide circles from the dough using a lid or cookie cutter. You could use bigger size as well. I made mine into mini versions.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and then re-roll the scraps and cut them out again.
Place about 1 tbsp of onion and cheese mixture.
Cover the filling with the other half of the dough (form a semi circle) and pinch the corners well.
Seal the sides using a fork or you could fold the edges to cover well.if you want to deep fry, you can fry for 5 mins until it turns golden on all sides and remove.
Serve hot with sauce.