Bruno’s Empanadas | Cooking with Gucci Osteria Chef Karime López

"The empanada is the quiet ruler of Latin American cuisine. Easy to eat, the comfort food is adaptable to any situation—a snack while waiting at a bus stop or why not as an accompaniment to a glass of champagne at a wedding. Chef de partie of Gucci Osteria in Florence Bruno Terceros is from Bolivia, and together with Karime López, they create an empanada with a Genovese twist in the rich meat filling, slow cooked with tomato puree and onions. “In all Latin America we have different names for empanadas, and different fillings, different ways to close—folded, braided or with a fork, fried or baked—at the end it’s the same thing,” Karime says, adding that to create a perfect empanada the filling has to be delicious and juicy and most importantly cold when you assemble the empanada otherwise you will have trouble closing them. INGREDIENTS 500 g all purpose or 00 flour 160 g lard Brine (26 g of coarse salt dissolved in 250 ml of cold water) 100 g extra lard for brushing over the dough, melted over low heat Cornflour for dusting on the dough so it doesn’t stick METHOD 1. Sift the flour, then make a well and add the lard and brine. Knead to a smooth and consistent dough. 2. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for half an hour. 3. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm. Brush the dough with melted lard and sprinkle with cornflour, then fold in half. 4. Repeat this process three times. 5. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness and cut into 10 cm discs FILLING 2 tablespons olive oil 400 g minced meat 2 white onions, chopped finely 150 g tomato puree 20 g fresh coriander 100 g parmesan METHOD 1. In a pan, soften the onions until golden in the oil, then add the meat with the puree tomatoes, cook for 1 hour over medium low heat. After cooking add cheese and coriander. Let the mixture cool. SEAL AND COOK 1. Place the filling in the middle of the discs and seal by joining the two sides of the dough. 2. To cook, fry the empanadas in sunflower oil at 180°C for three minutes."