Baked Empanadas de Picadillo

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and halve the onion; thinly slice 1 half and small dice the other half. Roughly chop the apricots. Crumble the queso fresco.

In a large, high-sided pan (or pot), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Carefully drain off and discard the drippings from the pan.

Add the diced onion and spice blend to the pan of beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the onion is slightly softened. Add the tomato sauce, apricots, almonds and ½ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the beef is cooked through; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

Lightly oil a sheet pan. Fill a small bowl with water. Place the empanada wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each wrapper (you may have extra filling). Working 1 at a time, using your fingers, lightly moisten the edges of the wrappers with water; carefully fold the wrappers in half over the filling. Using a fork, firmly press down on the edges to crimp and seal completely. Transfer to the oiled sheet pan. Lightly drizzle the empanadas with olive oil. Bake, rotating halfway through, 16 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. Remove from the oven; let stand for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

While the empanadas bake, in the pan used to make the filling, combine the sliced onion, vinegar, sugar and ¼ cup of water. Cook on medium, occasionally swirling the pan, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes.

Just before serving, reserving the pickling liquid, drain the pickled onion. In a large bowl, combine the pickled onion, arugula and queso fresco; season with salt and pepper. Add half the reserved pickling liquid and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. To make the dipping sauce, in a bowl, combine the sour cream and remaining pickling liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the baked empanadas and salad with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!