PORK AND CHORIZO EMPANADA

I am so sorry for not having posted in a while. I have been in the Philippines for the past month to visit my ailing father who passed away peacefully on May 12. Despite my love and loyalty to my blog, I had to deal with this event without any distraction from anything else. I thank the Lord for giving me, my siblings ( three of us had to fly from different parts of the globe), my daughter and my niece a few but immensely happy days bonding for the last time with Tatay (father). A lot of friends and family members were with us throughout it all, and we are all extremely thankful. 

Food can never be absent from any Filipino occasion nor any ordinary day as a matter of fact. Tatay's hospital room was always full of food, most were presents, some bought by us from the neighbouring restaurants.

Although cakes and pastries are the most common food gifts, empanadas were given to us on more than one occasion. So to commemorate my return to blogging, I am posting an empanada recipe that I have made some months ago but never got to post.

Mini pies cross cultural borders. A lot of countries have a version or another of clutchable, portable pies. In the same vein as the English love their Cornish pasties and the Indians love their samosas, countries with Hispanic influence love empanadas. The name is derived from the root word empanar which simply means to wrap or coat in bread or crumbs. Simply put, it is a turnover or pasty. 


The traditional Filipino empanada has whorls of flaky pastry ending in the crisp fluted edges. This results from painstakingly smearing lard on paper thin pastry and rolling tightly before cutting them into rounds. 


I have used a different recipe for my crust which I adapted from a Chinese recipe (from the book Chopsticks recipes, Dim Sum by Cecilia J. Au-Yang). Two types of dough are used for the pastry, one with more fat than the other. The two are rolled, one on top of each other into a very thin sheet. It is then rolled like a jelly roll and cut to expose the spiraled sections. I found it easier to do this process two times to achieve thin flaky layers which is essential in achieving the right texture for the pastry. The process was very manageable and the result was more than satisfactory. I used vegetable shortening instead of lard and still got a very crisp but tender crust. It is very similar to puff pastry but a lot crispier. Despite the absence of lard, the pastry still tasted really good.

This recipe makes 30-35 small empanadas.

Ingredients for the filling:

2 tbsps. olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

250 gms. minced pork

1/4 c. chopped chorizo

2 tbsps. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsps. paprika

1/4 c. sultanas

1 stick of celery, chopped

1 small potato, diced

1 tbsps. tomato paste

2 tbsps. sherry

1/2 c. water

1 1/2 tbsps. redcurrant jelly or 1 tbsp. sweet pickle relish

Method:

Saute the garlic and onions in the 2 tbsps. of olive oil and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. 

Add the minced pork, chorizo and paprika. Saute until the pork is browned and the mixture is dry. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. You have to watch this and stir occasionally. It tends to catch because of the sugar and the sultanas. 

You may add more water, 1/2 c. at a time, stirring well to deglaze the pan each time. A caramelized sauce is what we are aiming for so don't add too much liquid at once as it will dilute the flavour. 

At the end of 20 minutes, if the meat and potatoes are already tender, turn the heat up to reduce the remaining sauce. This only needs to come up to the boil and thicken, then its done. 

Transfer to a dish and leave to cool.

Ingredients for the pastry:

Pastry A:

1 3/4 c. plain flour

1/2 c water

1/4 c. oil

Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until it forms a ball. The pastry will not be smooth. Take out the pastry and gently knead briefly into a smooth ball. Set aside.

Pastry B:

1 1/4 c. plain flour

120 gms. of chilled vegetable shortening

Blitz all of the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture forms a ball.

To assemble:

On a floured surface, roll pastry A and B separately to form rectangles of the same size and measurement. 

Lay pastry B on top of pastry A. 

Roll them together with a rolling pin to a thin rectangle. Roll up tightly like a jelly roll, starting from the narrow end. 

Cut this log shape in half to form two log shapes. Roll with a rolling pin (separately) into thin rectangular sheets. Roll each of these sheets tightly like a jelly roll again. Slice the logs into 1 cm. thick circles.

Flatten each circle with a rolling pin and fill with a tablespoonful of the prepared filling. Brush the edges with water and fold to seal. Crimp and fold to create a fluted edge. 

Fry in medium hot oil for about 4 minutes each until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

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