Bolivian Salteñas is a traditional Bolivian recipe for a the classic local version of emapanadas with a beef, potato and pea filling that's sweetened with sugar and set with gelatine. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Bolivian dish of: Bolivian Salteñas.
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Ingredients:
For The Filling
500g minced beef 95% lean meat (or 2 chicken breasts)
1 sachet of unflavoured gelatine
1l beef stock
85g butter
2 tbsp turmeric or Achiote — ground or in paste form
1 onion, finely chopped
3 Large potatoes, Diced
150g peas
7g flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
100g granulated white Sugar
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
3 Hard Boiled Eggs Olives, Raisins (optional, for filling)
For the Dough:
550g plain (all-purpose) flour
2 Eggs
80g Sugar
115g Butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp salt
375ml of boiling hot water
1-2 tsp of yellow food colouring (optional)
Method:
Begin with the Filling: Cook the diced potatoes in boiling water knife tender, but still firm.
Melt the butter in a pan (or microwave) then blend with the ground turmeric or achiote until well combined and golden.
Add the Onions and the Diced Potatoes to the pan then season with the Cumin, Salt, black Pepper, and Oregano. Add the Peas and the chopped Parsley and mix well.
Scatter over and stir in the Sugar and continue cooking for a couple of minutes more.
Add the already cooked and seasoned minced beef and stir well to combine. Pour in the beef stock and bring the ingredients to a boil. Add the packet of unflavoured gelatine, stir well to mix, then take the pan from heat.
Turn the mixture into a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best, but not necessary).
For the Dough: Combine the Flour, Sugar, and Salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and add the yellow food colouring (this is to get the traditional colour of the Salteña, which is actually obtained by adding a natural colorant that is only found in Bolivia).
Add the Eggs Mixture to the Flour Mixture and mix until combined. Pour the hot (just off the boil) water to the mix and knead until a large, yellowish ball of dough is formed (it should not be too sticky, so add more flour if necessary).
Allow to rest for about 10-20 minutes and then separate into smaller, more workable pieces. Roll each piece on a floured work surface and cut into large circles (about 15cm in diameter and about 3mm thick)
To assemble the Salteñas: Pre-heat your oven to 220C. After you have rolled out the first piece of dough to the indicated size, add a slice of hard boiled egg to the centra (an olive and raisins if desired) and about 1/4 cup of the filling (more if you are not adding the other filling ingredients).
Wet the edges of the pastry, then fold one half over the top, pinching the edges together to seal and forming a half moon. To ensure that the Salteñas do not open during the cooking process, pinch and twist the edges to form a 'braided appearance'.
You can also beat an egg and brush the Salteñas with it to glaze right before baking to get a shinier look.
Arrange on a foil-lined baking tray, right side up, Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. When done, transfer the baking tray to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until browned.
Once baked and golden, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
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