Empanadillas are little pastries that are found all over Spain (originally from Galicia) and Latin America. One of the most common fillings is tuna, egg and tomato. I´m often disappointed by them in bars as the filling can be bland and stodgy with too much gloopy tomato sauce – I experimented at home to make a spicier, drier version. In Spain all supermarkets sell La Cocinera ready made empanada pastry which is somewhere between shortcrust pastry made with lard and filo and so good that I don´t think it´s worth the effort of making your own, if you can´t get hold of this I´d use shortcrust or puff pastry rolled very thinly.
Ingredients
FIlling ingredients
1 packet empanadilla pastry or 250g shortcrust made with lard rolled out very finely and cut into circles with diameter of approx 15cm
1 onion
olive oil
3 anchovy fillets
400g tuna in oil
1 egg soft-boiled
2 guindillas (pickled green chili peppers) or one mild green chili and a spoonful of pickled gherkins finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomate frito (tomato sauce or tomato paste)
50g flat leaf parsley
hot smoked paprika (pimenton picante)
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Finely chop the onion and fry in olive oil over a low heat until soft. Chop the other ingredients finely and mix together with the onion. Taste for seasoning and add more spice if necessary.
empanadilla filling
Coat a baking tray with olive oil. Place the pastry circles on the oil. Place a dessert spoon full of filling on top, fold over pastry and press together edges to seal.
Brush with more olive oil and bake for 15 minutes in a hot oven until golden brown.
Serve hot with a green salad. When hot the pastry is still crispy, they are also good cold but the pastry goes soft.
Spain is delicious 