Recipe: Small chicken empanadas
From a fragrant potato and chorizo stew to silky orange cream, and from chicken in almond-saffron sauce to a sandwich with sobrasada, cheese and caramelized onion. In The Bible of Spanish Cuisine, Raquel Palla Lorden takes you on a journey through the flavors of her homeland, where simplicity and quality go hand in hand. Expect pure ingredients, rich influences from different cultures and, above all: plenty of dishes you’ll want to make straight away.
Raquel: “What Argentinians call an empanada, Spaniards call an empanadilla. In other words: a small empanada, because the regular version is much larger. In Spain, you’ll find them at the bakery, where they are sold with all kinds of fillings. This recipe is made with chicken and bell pepper.”
How to make small chicken empanadas
For the filling, heat the mild olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, garlic cloves and grated tomato and fry for 30 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent them from sticking.
Strain the bell pepper and tomato mixture, remove the garlic cloves and collect the oil (you’ll use it in the next step). Let the oil cool.
For the dough, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk, wine and 100 milliliters of the collected oil and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Didn’t collect enough olive oil for the dough? Top it up with olive oil to reach 100 milliliters. Knead the dough firmly for about 5 minutes. If it becomes too dry, add a splash of extra milk.
Shape the dough into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Continue with the filling. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken breasts on all sides. Pour in the stock. Scrape all the browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the tomato purée, cover the pan and continue to simmer until the chicken breast is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pan and pull the meat apart with 2 forks to make pulled chicken. Return it to the pan with the tomato sauce. Also add the bell pepper and tomato mixture, ground cumin and paprika. Mix everything together and season well with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll them out into circles 15 centimeters in diameter. Divide the filling over the dough, leaving space around the edges. Fold the dough in half to form a semicircle and press the edges together with a fork. Optional: twist the edges attractively between your thumb and index finger.
Place the small empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with beaten egg and bake them in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Title: The Bible of Spanish Cuisine
Author: Raquel Palla Lorden
Price: €34,99
Publisher: Carrera
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