Salteñas from the Tomb Raider Cookbook

The next dish I made from the Tomb Raider Cookbook was Salteñas, a Bolivian kind of baked empanada or turnover. They're filled with a beef and vegetable stew that's cooked ahead of time and left to chill in the fridge, with gelatin so it solidifies and re-liquefies when warmed up. They were scrumptious.

Lara Croft visited Bolivia at the start of Tomb Raider: Legend, one of the first Tomb Raider games I played. She explores the ancient ruins of Tiwanaku, a pre-Incan settlement that has existed for thousands of years, in search of a dais. At the end of her adventure, it's to this dais that she returns, seeking answers. The climax of the final battle has Lara speaking some of her best lines ever. "Make sense right this second, or I swear I'll execute you where you stand!" is a shining example.

I'd meant to make the Salteña filling the day before, only to get busy, so I made both that and the dough for the wrappings on the same day. I was able to pull it off. In terms of substitutions, because I often have to make them, I used an orange pepper when it called for red. Minor difference of color, but the same flavor. Now, the cookbook gives you potential substitutes for a few of the spices, since they might be difficult to find. It calls for aji panca powder or paste for the filling, and achiote for the dough. Instead of that, you can use cayenne pepper for the filling and paprika and turmeric for the dough. That's what I did.

One mistake I made when cooking the filling was not taking the steak out to come up to room temperature. I should have done so, and it ended up a bit tough as a result. I used a T-bone steak since that's what I could get. Since the dough had to rest for a while, I kept the ingredients in my basement so they'd come up to room temp faster than if they were on the ground floor. With the filling and dough made, it was then a matter of assembly.

You use egg whites for the egg wash rather than whole eggs. I'm not sure why this is, but far be it for me to question it if this is what they do in Bolivia. Luckily, I had an egg white leftover from making the Tomb Raider New York Cheesecake, and used that along with 1/3 cup of pasteurized whites, which meant I didn't have to crack open another egg and do something with the yolk.

The Salteñas came out tasty! I didn't seal some of them properly and so the liquid filling in them more or less evaporated or ran onto the sheet, but they were still crispy-soft and full of flavor. My constructive criticism is that I don't think cubed beef works here. I'd prefer a shredded beef that I cook ahead of time. But that's me. Although a production, Salteñas are easy to make and even easier to eat. If ever I'm in Bolivia I'll be sure to try some from the street, but until then, I'm happy to make Lara's version.

If you want to make this recipe for Salteñas yourself, you can find it in Tomb Raider: The Official Cookbook and Travel Guide.