Galician Empanada Recipe

This recipe for Galician empanada is simply delicious! Like many dishes, we do not know the exact origin of the empanada, however we do know that Alfonso X the Wise referred to this dish in the Cantigas to Santa Maria. Its preparation is simple although it can be a bit tricky to make the dough. These empanadas can be filled with meat, fish, and vegetables depending on your taste. We have opted for making this empanada with tuna but feel free to substitute it with any other meat of vegetable of your choice. Shall we begin?

Ingredients:

      • 300g of canned tuna
      • 3 medium onions
      • 400 g of whole tomato
      • 1 red pepper
      • 1 clove garlic
      • 1 egg
      • paprika
      • 180 ml of olive oil
      • pie dough

       

Preparation:

  1. Begin with chopping the onion, pepper, and garlic.
  2. In a pan with oil, add the chopped ingredients and sauté for 20 minutes over low heat.
  3. When the onions are transparent and the peppers are soft, add the tomatoes peeled, seeded, and chopped. Add some white pepper and salt to taste.
  4. After a few minutes, add paprika and stir.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tuna (drained). Remove from the pan and let cool.
  6. To bake, line the pie pan with a little less than half of the pie dough, extending it up the sides of the pie pan. Use the rest of the dough to cover the top of. Paint it with a a beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven at 180º until the dough is brown.

To make the pie dough:

You can choose to buy or make the dough.

Ingredients:

  • 600 g flour
  • 200 ml water
  • 30 g of compressed yeast
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • half teaspoon of paprika
  • oil

Preparation:

  1. To prepare the dough, dissolve the yeast in a little warm water with salt.
  2. In a separate bowl or large base, put the flour in a crown shape. Add the paprika, the oil, and the yeast base in the center. Add some water to help knead the dough into a solid shape.
  3. When you get a solid and thin dough, divide the dough into two balls. Put the two balls into two separate floured bowls, covered with a cloth. Let stand for an hour.
  4. Afterwards, stretch the dough into two circles (one slightly larger than the other); one to line the pie pan and the other to cover the pie. Fill it with the sauce as explained in the previous steps.

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