Empanada Gallega
I would like to start this blog with a recipe that has been a favorite for a while and which is very popular all over Spain but its origins come from the most northern west part of the Iberian Penninsula, Galicia.
Galicia has been considered through its history as one of the poorest areas of Spain due to the rugged terrain and almost constant rain, which makes it difficult to raise good crops and to be able to cultivate these in large areas. As always the cuisine of each region develops from what grows well and what plants or animals are indigenous to that region. Galicia also has over 700 miles of coast, therefore many dishes consist of fish. The one I will be sharing today is typicaly made from tuna but can also be made with beef. It is said that this turnover or pastry goes way back to the Middle Ages when pilgrims would travel the roads in route to the saint city of Santiago de Compostela and would make stops to rest and have food at different local inns. Empanadas were an easy way to carry food on the go.
You can make these into individual pastries but the traditional is one big round pastry or rectangular pastry as shown in the photo above. It can then be cut to individual portions. The recipe is as follows:
For the Bread Pastry
3 cups of bread flour
1 cup of water ( warm)
2 1/2 tsp of yeast
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of sugar
Mix all these ingredients with the warm cup of water and kneed well for about 8 to 10 minutes on a lightly floured counter and with lightly floured hands or kneading can also be done with a mixer that has a hook and at a slow speed (you may put these ingredients in a bread maker in the manual cicle). Once the kneading process has been done place in a sligtly greassed bowl that is oven proof and cover with a cloth or plastic and place in the oven to rise for about 35 to 45 minutes. It should triple its size. When this point has been achieved place on the slightly floured surface and punch down and kneed again for about 5 minutes then roll out into the desired shape and place on a baking sheet ready to be filled with the tuna filling and then cover with the other rolled dough. Place in warm oven to rise again for about 30 mintes and then bake.
You will bake this in an oven of 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden. it is a good idea to take some egg yolk and brush it over the top of the pastry before baking so that it acquires a shinny glow.
Tuna Filling
1 large onion
4 large ripe tomatoes
2 hard bloiled eggs
1 small can of pitted black or green olives ( manzallina best)
2 cans of tuna
1 small can of fire roasted red bell peppers
1 small can of sweet peas
salt to taste and 2 stp of sugar
4 TBSP virgin olive oil
In a large frying pan pour olive oil and dized onion and tomatoes. Saute these and let them become soft and almost to a saucy texture. Add tuna and chopped hard boiled eggs. Stir and continue adding the rest of the ingredients. Add salt to taste and the sugar. The sugar is very important as it will take away the acidity of the tomatoes. Spread mixture into the rolled pastry and cover with the other rolled pastry. Bake
