And last but not least, the mother empanada to end all empanadas. I came across this recipe in my go-to anthology on Spanish cooking. Feeling a little indulgent, and still fondly remembering the taste of the delicious little empanadas I had made not long before, I thought to myself: Why NOT make a pie filled with chorizo?
Not to brag, but it was a masterpiece. Unfortunately, many of the pictures of this pie were lost in the Great Photo Erasure of 2015 that I experienced back in August, but I hope you get the idea that this is a show-stopper.
The basic gist of this recipe is that you make what is very similar to pizza dough (has yeast, rises twice, etc.). Then you make a very delicious filling that features Spanish chorizo AND pork (why have just one pig product when you can have two?). Now, a word on chorizo. There are 2 kinds. The Mexican kind is usually fresh, like a raw sausage, and is often eaten out of the casing and crumbled. Spanish chorizo, on the other hand, is cured – but still often eaten cooked. In this case, it’s thinly sliced and cooked in a sauce with peppers and onions and other delicious ingredients until everything is red and spicy.
Then your pizza-making endeavor turns into a pie-making endeavor. You divide the dough in two, and roll out into a top and bottom crust. The best part of this exercise is that this dough is about 1,000x easier to work with than pie dough. I made the most beautiful looking pie in the world, with perfect rolled edges and carefully exacted knife slits. This is not generally how my sweet pies look, at least on the first try.
When this came out of the oven, it was shiny and golden, and it kind of took my breath away. It looked like a pie from my dreams. It also tasted like a pie from my dreams, with a fluffy crust and a rich, spicy, meaty filling. The best part was that it reminded me of eating dinner with my family on a night in Baiona, Spain, at a family-owned restaurant down a cobbled alley. We sat around a big table eating tapas and slices of savory pies that I have not yet forgotten. And when food is delicious AND it brings back a special memory, I know I’ve got a winner on my hands.
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lb. lean pork, cut in thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick
- 1/2 lb. chorizo, skinned and cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 1 ripe tomato, skinned and diced
- 2 pimientos, cut into strips
- Pinch of saffron
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- First make the dough. Soften the yeast in the warm water. Melt the lard and cool slightly. IN a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Add the eggs, melted lard, the yeast mixture and the warm milk. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly, 2 or 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours. Knead the dough another 2 or 3 minutes, then return to the bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour more.
- While the dough is rising for the second time, make the filling. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is wilted. Add the pork strips and the chorizo; cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the tomato, pimientos, saffron, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, uncovered, for another 10 minutes over a low flame. Sprinkle in the hard-boiled eggs and turn off the heat immediately. Thin the mixture with the warm water and cool before filling the pie.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each part into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and 12 inches across. Place 1 circle in an ungreased 11-inch pie plate, extending the edges over the sides of the plate. Add the filling and cover the pie with the other dough circle. Curl the bottom dough over the top dough, pressing to seal. Make decorative slits in the center. Brush with the beaten egg mixed with the milk. Bake until the pie is nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let it sit about 15 minutes before cutting it into serving wedges.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/09/24/asturian-chorizo-pie-empanada-asturiana/
