It’s been another crazy week, starting with me
getting really sick and ending with my eldest suffering a fractured ankle. But,
as they say, if you have time to whine then you have the time to do something
about it. So I decided to say
Alhamdulillah and make some empadinhas!
I am truly thankful for my wonderful children, for
my wonderful parents, husband, family, friends and you that come here to check
my recipes.
Empadinhas is another Brazilian savory snack,
and what makes them so special is the
very delicate dough that crumbles in your mouth at first bite.
You can fill your empadinhas with any filling you
like. Here is a recipe for shrimp filling but you could use a hearts of palm or even chicken, like you would in a chicken pot pie.
Empadinha
de Camarão - Shrimp Mini Pies
Makes about 24 2-inch tartlet pans
For the dough I will give the approximate equivalent
in cups and spoons but I would recommend using a scale for perfecting the
dough. If you follow the approximate measurement in cups and spoons be prepared
to adjust recipe to obtain a good dough.
Dough
500g
all purpose flour (about 3 cups)
250g
vegetable shortening (about 1 ½ cup + 2 Tbsp)
150
ml Ginger Ale
About ½ Tbsp salt
1 egg yolk + Olive oil for coating the pie (optional
use only olive oil for making it completely egg free)
In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients
with the exception of egg yolk and olive oil . Knead the dough briefly until
smooth and no longer sticking to the hands.
Filling
1
lb peeled small shrimp
1
cup onion, diced
1
clove garlic, crushed
2
tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
Extra
Virgin Olive oil
1
cup green peas (I used corn this time as
I was out of peas)
Parsley,
finely chopped
1
cup pitted Spanish green olives
Salt
and Pepper to taste
About 3 Tbsp flour dissolved in ½ cup milk
Sautee onion until it starts to soften. Add tomatoes
and cook some more until it softens. Mix in peas, parsley, salt and pepper and
let cook some more. Add shrimp, mix and let cook for a couple of minutes.
Finally, stir in the flour dissolved in milk, and let cook stirringly
constantly for a few minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature
completely before assembling empadinhas.
Assembling
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Take a little bit of dough, place it in an empadinha
pan (or mini muffin or tartlet pan), and press very thinly to cover the inside
(thick enough to cover but not so thin that the pan shows through). Leave a bit
falling on the sides to press against the top after you have filled the mini
pies. Remember you will need to leave enough dough to top the empadinhas.
Place enough filling to fill each mini pie.
Again, take a bit of dough at a time and roll in
your hand to make a small ball. Then press down using your hand and thumbs to
create a thin topping for each mini pie. Press on top of filled pan making sure
to get a good seal between the bottom and top layer of dough. Cut off any
excess dough from the sides.
Beat egg yolk with olive oil and brush on the
surface of the pie with a pastry brush. If you would like to make it egg free,
brush with only olive oil.
Place mini pies on a baking sheet and bake until tops
are lightly golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Turn each
pan upside down, and the empadinha should fall into your hands in one piece.
Turn right side up, and serve.