Empanada

A very traditional snack in the Philippines- Empanada was introduced by the Spaniards into our cuisine. It is also popular in Latin America and United States in the same name however is popularly known in the UK as Cornish Pasties. Such a versatile food this one. Okkaaay...... So, this is a household favourite and the recipe I'm gonna share to you is more Filipino-style & rest assured very yummy. Although  at home they use yeast for the pastry so it is chewy and oh so delicious...but this is just a simple pastry recipe anyway. Don't get too overwhelmed with the cooking and prepping involved, this is the kind of dish where once you've done it, you know you can easily do it the next time, so be patient. Without further ado-

INGREDIENTS:

Pork/Chicken/Beef Mince Filling:

Mince of your choice 500 g.

4 garlic pcs. & 1 large onion finely chopped

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled, cut into quarters lengthwise

cubed: 2 pcs. carrots, 2 medium -sized potatoes, 1 kumara

1 cup green peas

1 cup sultanas

1 cup sweetcorn

1/2 of 1 big, red capsicum- julienne strips

3 tbsp. fish sauce (alternatively just use salt, adjust according to your taste)

ground pepper

*Aromat, optional

1 tbsp. tomato sauce ( I use ketchup for that hint of sweetness)

Pastry:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

pinch of salt

10 tbsps. of ice-cold water

Eggwash: 

1 egg

a tbsp. milk

*mix them well in a small bowl

HOW TO:

1. Cook your filling first but make sure you've prepped your veges!

Prepare all your veges- cut into small cubes your potatoes, carrots and kumara- you want them chunky and not too small or too big either. Boil your eggs etc...Once you've prepared everything, cooking it is easier.

2. On high heat- in a big pan, saute' your garlic and onion, add all your veges first (except peas and corn) because they take longer to soften up, give it 3-4 minutes in the pan making sure they don't stick on the pan and is evenly cooked. Then add your choice of meat. Mix it in so the veges are incorporated throughout and because we don't want big clumps of meat. 

3. Season according to your taste, I love mine with lotsa pepper and aromat :)  Add 1/2 cup of water just to allow for meat to get tender and cook until the water has evaporated and add some cooking oil to brown the meat a little. Once cooked, toss in the green peas and corn, leave it in the pan uncovered and let it cool. In the meantime-

4. Make the pastry: In a big bowl Add flour, salt and sugar- mix well. Cut butter into small cubes and add it in. Use a pastry knife to cut it in the flour BUT I just used my very clean hands :)  to incorporate butter into the flour mix until you get a crumb-like texture. 

5. Add in your water and with a circling motion, try to bind everything together until you can shape it into a ball. At first the dough would be a bit stiff and stubborn to shape but don't panic because it will soften up as the butter melts. Take that out and start to knead it onto a non-stick surface- at this point the butter will melt into the pastry quite quickly and the dough will be easier to handle, just try to knead it until it is 'pliable'.

NOTE:  Now you can do this two ways, either you flatten the whole dough out and use a round cutter to shape your empanada or divide the dough into 2, flatten each one out, add the amount of filling you want, fold it over the filling and cut around to shape it and then seal it. Use the cut-out dough again by adding it back into the ball until you have used it all up. I think it really depends on your workspace but as a habit I use the second option.

6. Anyway use a rolling pin to flatten pastry to at least 1- 1.5 cm thick, remember you're aiming for a half-moon shape. If you used a cutter then it's easier- place filling and one egg in the half side of the round cut-out pastry and turn-over the other half, seal the edges by pinching it with your fingers- you can use a wet fork to seal the rest of the edges or use your fingers to pinch them. Here's a LINK if you're a visual learner.

7. OK!!!! we're all done, almost. Line your tray with baking paper, arrange your empanadas on the tray with enough spaces between them, use pastry brush to apply egg wash and bake until tops are golden brown (but not burnt so always check) at 200 deg. C. Mine cooked in 15-25 minutes so i think it depends on the size. I always re-apply egg-wash, halfway through baking. 

I hope you get to try this because it's very, very delicious and worth all your effort. There are so many variations on this recipe and I have another favorite creamy chicken filling I use for this too which I will share later on. For now, enjoy this :)

*Recipe adapted from a Filipino cookbook

“Cooking is an art and patience a virtue... Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing - love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table. With a combination of these things you can be an artist - not perhaps in the representational style of a Dutch master, but rather more like Gauguin, the naïve, or Van Gogh,the impressionist. Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love.” 

~ Keith Floyd