I’ve been thinking about making tortilla empanadas/ burekas/samosas/hand pies since tik tok started exploding with all kind of unique ways to use the versatile flour tortilla. I also saw a BBC video by the talented Nadia Hussein that made tortilla samosas. Her recipe looked amazing, but waaaaay too labor intensive for my tired self.

This recipe is so easy, you won’t believe how good these empanadas come out. And no, you do not need to cook the meat prior to filling the pockets. This is as easy as it comes.

Ingredients

• 450 gr (1lb) or so ground beef
• 1 heaping Tbsp spice mix you enjoy: Grill, steak, middle eastern like Baharat or ras el hanout. Anything, really.
• 1 tsp salt (careful if your spice mix contains salt)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional, but fun).

• 8 large flour tortillas
• 1 egg for egg wash
• Rock salt
• Sesame seeds (I like a mix of white and black)

Preparation:

1. Mix meat with the rest of the filling ingredients.
2. Slice a tortilla in half and brush with egg wash, like so:

3. Place a small handful of meat mixture on the bottom of your half moon, flatten it slightly and fold tortilla over, like so:

4. Squish the open triangle edges between thumb and finger to close.

5. Brush the triangle top with egg wash and sprinkle rock salt and sesame.

6. I like to bake the empanadas in batches over a wire grid, but a regular baking sheet should work as well. Bake using the convection setting in your oven for 10 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius), until golden and crisp.

Enjoy!