Argentina has some of the best food I’ve ever had. From sandwiches de miga to milanesas to asado to my favorite food, the empanada. Lucky for me I married a porteña and am privy to authentic Argentine empanadas. Lucky for you I’m going to share the recipe.

If you’re interested and willing to give Argentine cuisine a shot I suggest you keep reading.

Before you begin you’re going to need a few things. Get ’em and proceed to the good part.

A Few Things

3 tomatoes, chopped

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

16 ounces mozzarella, chopped

16 ounces ham steak, chopped

2 dozen hojaldradas para horno (tapas)

1 cup cold water

The Good Part

Preheat your oven to 360°F and turn the stove-top burner on medium-high. Fill a pot with water, put in your 3 eggs, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Trust me, you’ve got plenty to do without waiting for water to boil. Don’t worry the eggs will turn out fine.

Chop the tomatoes, mozzarella, ham, and basil. As you chop each ingredient put each in their own container. You could combine all the ingredients into a large bowl, but you stand a better chance at keeping your empanadas balanced if you separate the ingredients. By the time you finish chopping, your eggs should be ready. Cool, peel, and chop the eggs.

Open the tapas and lay them on the countertop side-by-side. Wet your fingers with cold water and lightly spread the water in a circular motion on each tapa. Don’t want packaged tapas? Try making them yourself. Whatever you decide, once your tapas are laid out proceed to the next step.

Add a pinch of each ingredient to each tapa one ingredient at a time.

Now comes the crimping (the most difficult and time-consuming part of making empanadas). For this step I’ve asked my wife to demonstrate.

After crimping each empanada spray a cooking sheet with oil and pack on the empanadas.

Put the empanadas in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If they brown after 25 you can take ’em out. If you’re lazy and don’t want to check ’em after 25 just go with 30.

When they’re done let ’em cool for a few minutes and then chow down.

Now it’s your turn. Give this empanada recipe a shot and let me know how they turned out. Or try some other traditional Argentine empanadas: jamon y queso (ham and cheese), carne (beef), espinaca (spinach), choclo (corn and cheese) and humita (sweetcorn with white sauce). You can bake or fry them, and if you’re feeling particularly adventurous you can make a sampler platter. Just be sure to crimp them differently so people know what they’re eating. ¡Suerte!

Cooking Deets

Prep time: 1.5 hours

Cook time: 30 minutes

Cost: < $15

Difficulty: Moderate

Taste: ★★★★★