Saltenas
Baked pastries filled with a beef and vegetable stew whose broth is chilled to a jelly before stuffing, so it turns juicy again in the oven — a Bolivian specialty distinct from fried Argentine or Chilean empanadas.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Dairy, Egg. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup lard or butter, softened
- 1 tsp achiote or paprika, for color
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 lb beef, diced small
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp aji panca or paprika paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp unflavored gelatin
- 1 potato, diced
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup green olives
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Steps
- Knead the flour, sugar, lard, achiote, and warm water into a smooth, slightly sweet dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Cook the onion until soft, then add the beef and brown it, followed by the aji panca paste.
- Add the beef broth and simmer until the beef is tender, then stir in the gelatin (bloomed in a little water) until dissolved.
- Add the potato and peas, simmer until just tender, then stir in the raisins, olives, and hard-boiled egg. Let cool, then refrigerate until the broth sets into a jelly, at least 3 hours.
- Roll the dough into circles. Spoon the chilled, jellied filling onto each circle, fold over into a half-moon, and pleat and crimp the edge tightly to seal completely.
- Brush with beaten egg and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes until deep golden.
- Let cool slightly before eating, as the filling turns hot and liquid again inside.