Salteña De Carne Recipe: Bolivian-Style Beef Empanadas

Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1/2-inch cubes.

In a saucepan, bring the chicken or beef stock to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes, reserving the cooking broth, and set aside.

Cut the beef into small 1/2-inch cubes.

In a large, heavy skillet, add 2 tablespoons oil and sauté the beef until browned on all sides. Remove beef from the skillet and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the skillet.

Add the aji panca, onions, and bell peppers to the skillet and sauté until the onions have softened (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Add the cumin, paprika, and oregano and sauté for several minutes.

Add the beef back to the skillet and cook while stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the reserved broth (from cooking the potatoes) to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer beef and vegetables over low heat until the beef is tender (about 30 to 40 minutes). Add a bit more broth if needed.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked potatoes and peas and stir until heated through.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/2 cup water. Add the water to the beef mixture and stir well.

Remove from heat and transfer to a casserole dish. Refrigerate until cooled completely.

While the filling is cooling, you can prepare the dough. Do this right away because it does need to rest for a while.

Place the flour in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine the vegetable shortening, butter, and achiote. Heat over medium until hot.

Add the hot fat mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Use your fingers to distribute the fat evenly through the flour until it is crumbly.

In a small saucepan, stir the sugar and salt into the water and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot. Stir this hot water mix into the flour mixture, along with the egg.

Knead the mixture until it forms a smooth dough, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if the dough seems dry. Set the dough aside for 30 minutes to an hour.

Divide the dough into 2-ounce balls (about the size of a golf ball). Press each ball into a flat round and let rest for 5 minutes.

With a rolling pin, roll each round of dough into a larger oval shape that is about 5 to 6 inches in diameter and about an 1/8-inch thick.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place 2 tablespoons of the chilled filling in the middle of a dough round. Add an olive to the filling. Fold the dough in half over the filling and pinch the edges together to seal dough all the way around. If you want a shinier crust, brush a mixture of 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons milk onto each salteña.

Place salteñas on a baking sheet, braid up, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.