Empanada

    Empanada is a stuffed baked pastry that is very common in Spain and some Latin American countries.  A different version of empanada is empanadillas, that are smaller and have a semicircle shape and are sold in bakeries all over the country. They are typically eaten as a breakfast or late afternoon snack.

 

    Another day I’ll show you how to make empanadillas from scratch; but today I wanted to teach you how to make a very easy, quick, and delicious empanada using store bought dough.  I got this recipe from my friend Miriam, who always made this delicious treat when we got together at her place.

   
    This empanada is stuffed mainly with tomato and tuna, but there are endless possibilities when stuffing an empanada, such as spinach, peas and onions, octopus (yeah, you read it right) and even cockles if you travel to the north of Spain.
   
    I use puff pastry to make this tapa because it is already sold in 2 separate sheets (one for the top and one for the bottom) and it has that buttery flavor that goes so well with the tomato and tuna.

    I also included a video of the step-by-step process if that helps!



So, get your ingredients together and join me in the making of this wonderful dish!

Here’s what you will need:

MATERIALS:

-          Frying pan (to cook the tomato)

-          Cookie sheet or any oven proof tray

-          Oven (preheat at 400F)

-          Small pot to hard boil the eggs

-          Bowl and whisk to beat the egg

-          Plate to serve

INGREDIENTS:

-          One package of puff pastry sheets (2 sheets included)

-          1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

-          2 large eggs

-          An additional egg to brush the pastry before baking

-          A can of tuna in water or olive oil (5 oz)

-          ½ cup of diced green olives

-          Olive oil

-          Salt

 

HOW TO PREPARE IT:

1.       Start by defrosting the puff pastry sheets according to instructions in the box (about 40 min).

2.       Meanwhile boil the 2 eggs and put them aside to cool.  When ready, chop them in small pieces.

3.       In a frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add the diced tomatoes, previously drained of excess liquid.  Add salt to taste and cook for about 10 minutes.  Be aware that the tuna and olives are already going to make the filling salty.

 

4.       Meanwhile, beat 1 egg and set aside for later.

 

 

5.       Chop the green olives in small pieces.

6.       Once the tomato is cooked, mix it in a bowl with the hard boiled eggs, the can of tuna (drained), and the diced green olives.

 

 

7.       Set a sheet of the puff pastry (now defrosted) on a previously greased baking sheet and poke some holes on it with a fork (to prevent it from puffing too much).

 

 

8.       Pour the mixed ingredients on top and spread them all over the surface allowing a ½ inch margin on the sides.

9.       Cover with the second sheet of pastry and using a fork seal bottom and top pieces together (Watch video for clarification).  This will ensure that all the stuffing remains inside the dough when baking.

10.   Poke some more holes on the top sheet of pastry and brush it with the egg to give it that nice golden color when it’s cooked.

11.   Place it in the preheated oven (at about 400F) and bake for about 20 minutes.  Start checking on it after 15 minutes and take out of the oven when the top is golden.

 

 

12.   Set aside on a plate and let it cool before serving.  Cut in 9 equal pieces and enjoy!

 

Allioli & Tomate Rallado

 Hola amigos!

    There are two must-have condiments in every tapas table.  With just a loaf of bread and these two you’ll have the perfect start for a delightful tapas meal. I’m talking about allioli and tomate rallado! Allioli is a kind of garlic mayonnaise that we use to spread on a piece of bread and munch on that in between tapas’ bites.  Tomate rallado is just grated tomato accompanied by salt and virgin olive oil.  We spread it on the bread and eat it like that or we use it as a base to spread some allioli on top. They are really easy to prepare and they help bring the flavors of the tapas together.  They are sooo simple and sooo good.

 

 
    Valencia, my region in Spain, is famous for its rice dishes –paella especially- and we use the allioli as a condiment with our rice dishes as well.  Sometimes what I’ll do is prepare a paella as the main dish but then serve 3 or 4 small tapas as appetizers, and two of them are always gonna be the allioli and the tomato. Then, I’ll have some bread, some type of cured meat, and some manchego cheese. Everyone likes to dip into them when waiting for the bigger meal to arrive!

Allioli

 

 

Here is what you will need.

MATERIALS:

      -          Hand blender

-          Blender bowl to mix ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

      -          1 garlic clove

-          ½ lemon

-          Canola oil

-          1 egg

-          Salt

 

In Spain I would use sunflower oil cause it tends to emulsify better than olive oil and it’s cheaper, but here in Ohio I’ve been using canola oil and it works just as well.

HOW TO PREPARE IT:

1.       Cut the garlic clove in small pieces and add to the blender bowl.

 

 

2.       Add about 1/2 cup of oil, 1 egg, salt, and the juice of half a lemon.

 

 

3.       Blend together without moving the blender. When it starts to emulsify you can start to add additional oil very slowly up till 1-2 cups. I’ll typically make about 2 cups of allioli for a 6 person party.

 

 

4.       Transfer into a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

 

   Check out this video if you want to see the emulsion happen! It really takes a little over a minute to make homemade allioli

Tomate rallado

Here is what you will need.

MATERIALS:

-          Grater

-          Bowl to serve

INGREDIENTS:

-          2 medium tomatoes

-          Salt

        -          Virgin olive oil

 

 

         I like to buy the big heirloom tomatoes that actually taste like a tomato. I recently discovered the kumatos. These are kind of small and more greenish than the heirloom variety but also have a pretty good taste.

HOW TO PREPARE IT:

1.       Grate the tomatoes in a deep dish

2.       Add salt to taste and garnish with olive oil.

 

3.       Transfer into a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

     Enjoy!!