Vamos, Vamos, Empanadas

A tribute to the Argentina-Brazil friendlies of late and my late father. Next match is October 3 in Resistencia (in Chaco) in the northeast of Argentina. Last game, which Brazil won 2-1 with a last minute penalty kick, was also played wayyy off the beaten path in Goianas, Brazil. The goal (ha) has been to bring action to parts of Latin America that don't get much attention when there is a sporting event of national significance. It's the nation's team, not the Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo team. Soccer has always been about nation building in this part of the world.

The universal and inalienable right of every Argentine is to eat empanadas as a snack, with pizza, at an asado (bbq), and before and after sporting events. The empanada's recent surge in popularity has been a total surprise for me. I remember as a child in Chicago visiting a ramshackle shop where my parents bought empanadas and newspapers from their native Argentina. Today, every third hipster food entrepreneur seems to be peddling empanadas on the streets of San Francisco. 
Empanadas are super fun and easy to make with your friends, house guests, children, and anyone else who enjoys twisting dough into cool shapes. Plus, they can be frozen for weeks and reheat remarkably well. My grandmother's recipe makes 3 dozen: 

• 250g or 18 Tablespoons of butter (yes, this is more than 2 sticks)
• 500g or 1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onions (about 2 small onions)
• 250g or about 9 ounces lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
• chopped green olives with pimento (about 36, or one per empanada)
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion over medium-low heat until soft   and translucent, about 20 minutes. (Make sure heat is medium-low; don't fry the onions.) 
3. Add ground beef and stir occasionally. Cook until meat is done and light in color.
4. Remove from heat and add salt, oregano, and paprika.
5. Stir well and add egg and olives. Taste and add more salt or paprika, if necessary,
6. Stuff empanadas and place on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not overstuff, or empanadas will open in the oven. I use these "shells," which are available at any Latin grocery store.
7. Dip fingers in water and gently dampen outside rim of shell. Fold shell in half and press to seal, tightly . Twist edge or use fork tines to create pretty trim.
8. Beat egg until foamy. Brush over empanadas.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Brazil will probably win next week. Messi won't play, but the wunderkind to the north, Neymar, will. Yes, Argentina has great offensive power but its defense is shaky, and Brazil is Brazil. If they have their day they beat anyone. I owe these words and pseudo-knowledge to my brother, an urban planner and sports analyst. A real "hincha," his analytical skills were honed by my father, a physician and research scientist who devolved into a highly superstitious raving lunatic once every four years. My favorite soccer memory: "missing" a connecting flight in Miami to check into a hotel for two hours to watch the 1990 Argentina-Yugoslavia quarterfinal. Housekeeping knocked on the door to ensure that the shouts emanating from the room were not the sounds of a seizure, or worse.