Pot Roast and Glazed Onion Empada: A Tasty Portrait of 1955

Season the meat: Cut the pork shoulder into 2-3 cm cubes. Dry well with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Brown the meat in portions, until a caramelized crust forms on all sides. Remove and set aside. Do not overcrowd the pan; brown in batches to ensure a good searing of the meat.

Prepare the sauce base: In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté two sliced onions over medium-low heat until soft and lightly golden, for about 8-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant. The secret to this recipe is the patience to caramelize the onion well, developing layers of flavor.

Deglaze and thicken: Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Pour in the dark beer (or red wine), scraping the bottom of the pan to release the flavors. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the beef broth, peeled tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, bay leaf, and thyme.

Cook the meat slowly: Return the browned meat to the pan. Mix well, making sure the meat is submerged in the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 2 to 2.5 hours, or until the meat is extremely tender and falling apart. Stir occasionally. The professional technique is slow, moist cooking, which transforms tougher cuts into succulent meat.

Prepare the glazed onions: While the meat is cooking, prepare the remaining onion. Slice the onion into thin rings. In a separate skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes, until they are very soft, translucent, and begin to brown. Adjust the salt and pepper. This slow process concentrates the natural sweetness of the onion.

Assembling the empadas: Preheat the oven to 190°C. Remove the meat from the sauce and shred it coarsely. Return the shredded meat to the sauce (discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs). Mix the glazed onions into the meat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Unroll one of the puff pastry rolls and, with a cutter or knife, make discs slightly larger than the base of your ramekins or individual pie molds.

Bake: Place a generous portion of the meat and onion filling on each dough disc. Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water. Cover with the second dough disc, pressing the edges well to seal. You can make a small cut on the surface to allow steam to escape. Brush the surface with the beaten egg for a golden and shiny finish. The most important tip is not to overstuff, to avoid leaks.

Finishing: Take the empadas to the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden and crispy. Sirva quente. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving to let the filling set and avoid burns.