This is my own recipe, the way it stands in my Cooking notes: a flour-and-butter dough, a curry beef filling, and an empanada press that cuts, fills, and seals in one squeeze. These are baked, not fried — 20 empanadas from 3 cups of flour.
這是我自己的食譜，就是我烹飪筆記裡的作法：麵粉加奶油的麵團、咖哩牛肉餡，再加一個壓模，切皮、包餡、封口，一壓完成。這是烤的，不是炸的——3杯麵粉做20個。
What You Need
材料
Flour, 3 cups — enough for 20 empanadas. Butter, about 6 oz (1½ sticks), melted. Water, 1/4 cup to begin with, up to 1/2 cup in total.
麵粉3杯——可以做20個。奶油約6盎司（1.5條），融化。水先用1/4杯，最多到1/2杯。
Ground beef, 1 lb. Onions, 2, chopped.
牛絞肉1磅。洋蔥2顆，切碎。
Curry powder, about 2 Tbsp, and salt — curry powder is not salty at all, so the salt is yours to add. A pinch of sugar, optional, rounds the curry out.
咖哩粉約兩大匙，和鹽——咖哩粉一點都不鹹，鹽要自己加。一撮糖可加可不加，能讓咖哩味更圓潤。
Cornstarch, 1 Tbsp, mixed with a spoonful of water into a slurry. One egg, white and yolk separated.
玉米澱粉一大匙，加一匙水調成粉漿。雞蛋一顆，蛋白蛋黃分開。
An empanada maker (the press). Baking paper, and oil for the tray.
一個餡餅壓模。烘焙紙，和抹烤盤的油。
The Dough
麵團
Step 1. Mix Dough
步驟1：揉麵團
Mix the flour and a pinch of salt with the melted butter, then add the water — 1/4 cup to begin with, more by the spoonful if the dough is dry. Knead it into a smooth dough.
麵粉加一撮鹽，和融化的奶油先拌勻，再加水——先加1/4杯，麵團太乾的話，一匙一匙再加。揉成光滑的麵團。
Step 2. Rest Dough
步驟2：鬆麵團
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Do not waste the half hour — this is when you cook the filling.
讓麵團鬆弛30分鐘。這半小時不要浪費——就是拿來炒餡的。
The Filling
內餡
Step 3. Cook Filling
步驟3：炒內餡
Cook the ground beef with the chopped onions and curry powder. Add salt — remember, the curry powder brings flavor, not salt. At the end, stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the juices, so the meat sticks together and wraps easily. Let it cool completely before wrapping — warm filling softens the dough.
牛絞肉和洋蔥碎、咖哩粉一起炒。記得加鹽——咖哩粉帶來的是香味，不是鹹味。最後拌入玉米澱粉漿，讓湯汁變濃、肉黏在一起，比較好包。包之前要完全放涼——溫熱的餡會讓麵皮變軟。
Wrap and Bake
包與烤
Step 4. Press, Seal
步驟4：壓模封口
Roll the dough and cut rounds about 5 inches across. Lay one on the empanada maker, spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the middle, and press it shut — the press cuts the edge and crimps the seal in one move. The egg white is your glue if a seal looks weak.
把麵團擀開，切成約5吋的圓皮。圓皮放上壓模，中間放約兩大匙餡，一壓封口——壓模一次就把邊切好、把口壓緊。封口看起來不牢的話，蛋白就是你的膠水。
Step 5. Brush Yolks
步驟5：刷蛋黃
Line the tray with baking paper, and oil the tray as well — skip the oil and they stick and break. Brush egg yolk over the outside of every empanada; that is where the golden color comes from.
烤盤鋪上烘焙紙，烤盤也要抹油——不抹油就會黏住、破掉。每個餡餅外面刷上蛋黃；金黃色就是這樣來的。
Step 6. Bake, Broil
步驟6：烤與炙
Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then broil for 1 minute for color — and watch that minute; broil does not forgive.
375°F烤30分鐘。然後用Broil炙1分鐘上色——那一分鐘要盯著；Broil是不留情的。
Good to Know
小訣竅
Just use the empanada maker. The cutter that comes with the set is useless — my notes say so, in capital letters.
用壓模就好。整組裡面附的那個切模沒有用——我的筆記裡就是這樣寫的，還是大寫。
Curry powder is not salty at all. Forget the salt and the filling tastes flat, no matter how good the curry is.
咖哩粉一點都不鹹。忘了加鹽，咖哩再香，餡也是平的。
The cornstarch is not a small thing: a thick filling stays where you put it; a wet one escapes.
玉米澱粉不是小事：濃稠的餡會乖乖待在原地；太濕的餡會逃出來。
Baked empanadas freeze well. Reheat them from frozen at 350°F for about 10 minutes and the crust crisps right back up.
烤好的餡餅很好冷凍。要吃時不解凍，350°F烤約10分鐘，皮就會脆回來。
Let’s Talk About It
來聊一聊
Marco: “Wait — these are baked? I thought empanadas were fried.”
馬可：「等等——這是烤的？我以為餡餅都是炸的。」
Jenny: “Baked. Thirty minutes, then one minute under the broiler.”
珍妮：「烤的。三十分鐘，再進烤箱上火炙一分鐘。」
Marco: “And that crimped edge? Looks professional.”
馬可：「那個壓邊呢？看起來很專業。」
Jenny: “The press does it. I just squeeze.”
珍妮：「壓模做的。我只是壓下去而已。」
Marco: “Curry beef, though. Your invention?”
馬可：「不過，咖哩牛肉。是你發明的嗎？」
Jenny: “Old recipe from my notes. Curry powder, two onions — and don’t skip the salt.”
珍妮：「筆記裡的老食譜。咖哩粉、兩顆洋蔥——還有，鹽不要省。」
