The Dish: Argentinian beef empanadas from Jezabel's Cafe in West Philadelphia

In today's The Dish, we head to West Philadelphia where a chef is serving up the authentic flavors of her Argentinian culture.

At Jezabel's , every ingredient, every design element and every touch is hand crafted and home grown.

"I grew up around the kitchen," says Jezabel Careaga. "I just I was one of those kids that I love hanging out in the kitchen."

Careaga grew up in Northwest Argentina making empanadas with her family.

The Dish: Argentinian beef empanadas from Jezabel's Cafe in West Philadelphia

"As kids, we were only supposed to do work on the dough," she recalls. "The older women, like my mom and my aunt, would shape them. I didn't learn to do it myself until I was an adult and I opened my space in Fitler Square."

She opened Jezabel's Cafe in Fitler Square shortly after she moved here in 2009.

Why Philly?

"An ex-boyfriend," she laughs.

Careaga is now about to mark a milestone of making HER mark in the Philadelphia culinary scene: her 15th anniversary!

"I think I'm always going to be working around food," she says. "For me, it's more about creating the space and being an entrepreneur."

She now runs her entire operation on 45th Street in West Philly.

"We relocated here in 2019," she says. "I was able to create this beautiful this space for my team."

Her original storefront is now where walk-ins find pastries and coffee. She later expanded next door, where there's an open kitchen and seating before expanding again to include an event space.

Everything here is homemade.

"All of the empanadas are made by hand," she says. "It takes a lot of labor and love. We just want to make beautiful food."

Careaga also designs and builds the furniture by hand.

"I like to craft things my own way and shape something new. That really drives me," she says.

Today, we're making her beef empanadas.

"This is my favorite," she says. "Give me the beef empanadas. I'll have them every single time."

These are Argentine empanadas and she explains what makes them unique.

"We always use a wheat dough," she says. "In Colombia and Venezuela, they use a corn dough. That's one of the main differences. The other thing is going to be the thickness of the dough. It's very thin."

He empanadas are also baked, not fried.

"It's a little bit healthier," she says.

For the beef empanadas, dice and sauté olive oil and add your spices.

"We have paprika, cumin and chili flakes," she says. "This is the base for Northwest Argentine cuisine."

Then, add your beef. Order it coarsely chopped, a little chunkier. Once that cooks and cools, add some green olives and scallions and chill before you start wrapping them.

Each empanada gets two raisins. Add them as you fold.

And each flavor gets it's own design.

"We use each shape of the empanada to kind of tell us what the filling is inside," Careaga explains.

The beef gets bunny ears. Once they're nice and sealed, give your empanadas a nice egg wash.

"They come out nice and shiny," she says. "That's what I love. I think that food should be pretty."

Now, pop them in the oven.

Eat them hot and eat them with your hands, as they do in Argentina.

"I always recommend cracking it like an egg," she says, starting with one half.

As we enjoy the delicious empanadas, I ask Careaga to look around. Was this the vision she had on the vision board of her life?

"This is way more I could have ever imagined," she says with a smile.

Jezabel's Cafe Beef Argentine Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 8 cups of all-purpose flour

- A pinch of salt

- 1/3 cup of olive oil

- 1 and 3/4 cups of lukewarm water

- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar

For the filling:

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced

- 1 lb. coarse ground sirloin

- 1 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1 tablespoon paprika

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- 1 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste

- 1 cup scallions

- 1cup sliced green olives

- 1 cup raisins, about one or two per empanada

- 1 egg

Directions:

To make the dough:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Make a well in the center, then add the oil and water, followed by the lemon juice or vinegar.

3. Gently begin to mix, gradually drawing in flour with each stroke. Eventually a soft dough will form.

4. Knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Cover the kneaded dough with a bowl and allow it to rest for around 15 minutes.

6. Once dough is rested, knead it one more time for 2 to 3 minutes, then divide it in two.

7. Flour your work surface and spread with the palm of hand until you get a one inch thickness.

8. Start rolling the dough with a rolling pin until you get a 1/2 inch thickness, and flour it as needed.

9. Cut 5-inch circles and stack them until you are about to assemble your empanadas.

To make the filling:

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium.

2. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the beef and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, breaking it down and mixing it with the onions.

4. Add the salt, paprika, cumin, chili flakes, and mix.

5. Let cook for 7 to 10 minutes, then remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and chill for two hours or overnight for better results.

6. Once the mixture is chilled, add the scallions and olives.

To assemble the empanadas:

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.

2. Place one empanada circle on your work surface.

3. Put the moistest side of the circle face up.

4. Place one spoonful of filling in the middle of the circle in a medium-size egg-like shape.

5. Add in one or two raisins, then start closing the empanada, shaping and crimping as you go.

6. Place the empanadas on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

7. In a small bowl, mix the egg with approximately two tablespoons of water.

8. Brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash.

9. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the empanadas are golden.

Recipe makes 30 to 32 empanadas. Enjoy!