Mideast Eats: Lamb Empanadas

This week on Mideast Eats, we visit Machane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, where we discovered the Israeli version of empanadas. Chef Lucas, an Argentinian Jew who immigrated to Israel, shows us how local ingredients and spices fuse with tastes from his childhood... Story by Gili Elad



Ingredients:


For the dough:
1 kg. white flour
500 cc hot water
25 grams salt
180 grams refined beef fat



For the lamb filling:
1 whole lamb neck
5 whole onions
1/2 kilo carrots
1 head garlic
300 grams dates
3T Ras-al-hanut
1t nutmeg
1T Moroccan paprika
1t English pepper
Salt and pepper



Directions for the lamb filling:
Light some good quality charcoal or preheat the oven to 190
Roast the vegetables whole on an open fire, peel and chop
Either put the veal in the oven or lay it on a wire grill rack, 20 minutes per side
When the color looks good and it has a nice roasted outer covering, lower the heat and put the veal in a pan half-filled with liquid (veal/chicken/wine base or water with bay leaves, English pepper, garlic and thyme).
Cover with aluminum foil and baking paper and continue cooking on medium heat for another two and a half hours
Remove the meat from the neck, chop and mix with the rest of the ingredients
Let cool and in the meantime begin preparing the dough
When the filling is cool, fill the dough and seal it in a rotational motion
Bake for 15 minutes at 180 or fry for 10 minutes until the dough is golden brown



Directions for the dough:
Mix the flour with the salt
Add the fat and water while mixing
Knead for 15 minutes until the dough is uniform, smooth and nice
Let the dough rest, for at least as long as it takes to open a bottle of wine and drink a glass