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1
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub the lard into the flour with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with no dry pockets of flour remaining. Add the warm water gradually, mixing until a cohesive dough forms. The dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the bowl and feels supple, neither sticky nor cracking at the edges.
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2
Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Cold lard stiffens the dough and makes the repulgue crimp difficult to execute; the dough must remain pliable throughout assembly.
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3
Prepare the filling. Sear the finely diced beef — fat cap included — in a hot dry pan until coloured on all sides. Remove from the heat and combine with the sliced spring onion, olives, and (for the Salta version) the par-cooked potato. Season aggressively: the dough absorbs seasoning during baking and will mute a filling that tastes correctly seasoned at this stage. Fold in the chopped hard-boiled egg last so it holds its shape. Chill the filling completely — at minimum several hours, ideally overnight — before assembly. The filling is ready when it is cold to the touch throughout and holds its shape when lifted on a spoon without releasing liquid.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. On a lightly floured surface, roll the rested dough to 3–4 mm thickness and cut rounds approximately 15 cm in diameter. Place a portion of cold filling in the centre of each round, filling to no more than 60 % capacity — over-filling prevents a clean seal. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon. Execute the repulgue: beginning at one corner, fold and press the edge in a continuous sequence of 18 crimps around the arc. Each fold must overlap and compress the previous one. A correctly sealed empanada will show a uniform raised rope of dough along its entire seam, with no gaps or thin points that would open under the heat of the oven.
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5
Arrange the empanadas on a lightly greased baking tray with space between each. Brush the entire surface of each empanada generously with beaten egg wash. Place in an oven heated to 220 °C. Bake until the empanadas are a deep mahogany brown across the domed surface and the repulgue shows no pale or raw-looking seams. An unglazed or under-baked empanada will be pale and dry; the finished surface should be glossy and dark.