Flavors of the Camino: Galician Empanada Recipe

[SherlyC]

I'm a bit depressed in general due to this stupid covid. Most of my business deals got cancelled this year, I got fat during the quarantine, my health level seems to be deteriorating every year. Hubby got disc hernia from sitting too long doing home office, so with the back pain he is in a constant bad mood.
From now on I'll try to think of this like the stages of the camino. Let's compare it to: I lost my wallet, i'm carrying an overloaded backpack with injured knee and got blisters all over my feet and have a grumpy pilgrim next to me. What would i do?

• Lost wallet: Get over it, get the admin stuff done like blocking the credit card etc and prepare for next steps
• Overweight backpack: Get rid of unnecessary weight NOW, start action
• Injured knee: consult the doctor and get it treated so I can get back on the road - so at least i can manage slow walking
• Grumpy pilgrim next to me: Be kind to him and help within my capability but if he wants to be continuously grumpy then he shall be so. Don't let his grumpiness influence me.

Missing the energy I had in the last two years walking the two caminos (Frances and Portuguese), here I share with you an authentic Empanada recipe from my Galician mother in law. Enjoy!

PS: I had posted another Galician recipe last year: Caldo Gallego

Flavors of the Camino 2: Galician Empanada

What do you miss the most since the corona breakout? Hugging your parents? Mingling with a big group of friends? Or maybe a piece of delicius Empanada?

sherlyskitchen.com

 

[GFinch]

Thanks for the recipe SherlyC, sometimes good comforting food is all we need to forget our worries. And thank you for reminding us that we can show Camino resilience and good humour in everyday situations.

I miss the Camino and I sincerely hope that a time will come soon when pilgrims will be able to walk again, probably not as before Covid times but in a new "social distancing" way.

 

[Pelegrin]

I see that you don't include fried tomato in your empanada recipe.
The original recipe didn't have that ingredient but today is difficult to find a Galician empanada without tomato.
Your caldo recipe I think is also quite authentic.

 

[David Tallan]

I notice the recipe calls for two red pimientos. Are these fresh red bell peppers? Something else? Here in North America, far from Galicia, what should I be looking for as the closest substitute to a Galician pimiento?

 

[SherlyC]

I notice the recipe calls for two red pimientos. Are these fresh red bell peppers? Something else? Here in North America, far from Galicia, what should I be looking for as the closest substitute to a Galician pimiento?

Hi David, they are fresh red bell peppers. Enjoy!

 

[SherlyC]

I see that you don't include fried tomato in your empanada recipe.
The original recipe didn't have that ingredient but today is difficult to find a Galician empanada without tomato.
Your caldo recipe I think is also quite authentic.

Actually you are right! I just forgot to add the tomato in the recipe.. Can also replace with tomato paste diluted with water. I edited it now - thanks for mentioning

 

[MariaSP]

I see that you don't include fried tomato in your empanada recipe.
The original recipe didn't have that ingredient but today is difficult to find a Galician empanada without tomato.
Your caldo recipe I think is also quite authentic.

I don't know what empanadas you guys are eating... but I don't think I've ever eaten an empanada with tomato. And I'm from Galicia...

Please, please, don't put tomato in your empanadas!

 

[SherlyC]

Hi @MariaSP and @Pelegrin
Just put chopped tomatoes/tomato sofrito if you want and leave it out if you don't like it. As you know, a bit of sofrito does not change the taste of the empanada, it just makes the filling more juicy and adds a bit of umami. The tomato will cook all at the end so that when you eat it you do not really notice much of the tomato left.

And @MariaSP, just because you are from Galicia, it does not mean that your recipe is the only one that is valid. Galicia has 3 million population, and it cannot be that everyone's recipe is the same. Galicia in the coast and Galicia in the mountain area also slightly cook with different recipes. My Galician mother in law who is from the mountainous region used to run a Spanish restaurant for 20yrs and what I posted is her delicious recipe, and I will always follow hers. So Maria do whatever makes you happy: If you don't want tomatoes, leave it out

And you will see many Spanish youtube videos making empanada with tomatoes and also without.
with tomato:

without tomato:

 

[Pelegrin]

Hi @MariaSP and @Pelegrin
Just put chopped tomatoes/tomato sofrito if you want and leave it out if you don't like it. As you know, a bit of sofrito does not change the taste of the empanada, it just makes the filling more juicy and adds a bit of umami. The tomato will cook all at the end so that when you eat it you do not really notice much of the tomato left.

with tomato:

without tomato:

I am from Galicia too, but living in Madrid.
I prefer empanadas without tomato, but well cooked.
I am retired and in my farewell at the office I brought different empanadas without tomato from an "specialized shop". The result was a little disaster, because some of them were too dry.
My opinion is that an empanada without tomato is more difficult to cook and get a good outcome.

 

[Pelegrin]

José Andrés: «Para mí el infierno es no poder comerme un trozo de empanada»

El afamado cocinero, que ha visitado A Coruña en un viaje relámpago para comprobar la labor que su oenegé World Central Kitchen está haciendo en la ciudad, se moja en todas las preguntas. Como también dice que le gusta zambullirse en aguas de las Rías Baixas. Hablamos con él de Galicia, de su...

www.lavozdegalicia.es

Very interesting interview with chef José Andrés in La Voz de Galicia.
He says that for him hell is if he couldn't eat a piece of empanada.
He says that in the Pórtico de la Gloria there is a statue head down that can't reach a empanada. And according to him this is a symbol of hell created by master Mateo.
He also says that he has done 2 caminos so far and that if he wasn't Asturian he woluld be Galician (Thank you José).