Posh pasties

 

Empadinhas (smoall powk pies)

This particular recipee is from Goa an’ originates from their colonial Portuguese past. I got loads of girlfriends an’ boyfriends in Panjim, but the lady who gave mi this dish and many others is proppa straight wiv a an husband an’ free kids. Her name is Joyce Fernandes, her cookin’ is famous frooawt Goa becawse aswell as stickin’ to traditions she ‘as awlso embraced the ‘contemporary’ in ‘er cuisine. These smoall pies can be faand awl ova the world wiv different names, such as in Chile an’ Peru they are cawled ‘empanadas’, in Brasil empada, in Argentina an’ Uraguay empadhinas oa pastel pies: but in Cawnwall they are a pasty. When the tin miners left to find work in other countries they took wiv them the ability to ‘eat on the job’ wiv dirty ‘ands. An’ so the pasty was invented. A fold of pastry envelopin’ a fillin’ of vegetables an’ meat became their lunchtime meal whilst in the dark, damp environ of the pit.      

Ingredienz

Imperial (Cawnish)                                                    Metric (Goan)

One paand of fatty powk (skinless an’minced)           550grms of lean minced pork

Six onions, choppt fine                                                6 onions cut finely

One tablespoon of oil                                                   15ml of vegetable oil

Foa the pastry

Eight ounzes of flowa wiv teaspoon of bakin’flowa   200grms flour, 5ml baking flour

Foa ounzes semolina wiv teaspoon bakin’ flowa        100grms semolina, 15ml baking

Free free range egg yolks                                             3 free range egg yolks

One an’ a arf tablespoonz of shugga                            20mls of fine sugar

A pinch of sawlt                                                           A pinch of salt

One tablespoon of butta                                               15grms of unsalted butter

Knead awl of these ingredienz until a soft dough has been formed. Do not use any wautta.

Grind to a fine paste

Too ‘ot green chillies, fresh                                          2 fresh mild green chillies

One dry red chilli                                                          1 dry red chilli

One inch of ginja                                                           a thumb of ginger

Six flakes of garlic, fresh                                               6 slices of garlic finely cut

One tablespoon of tamarind                                          15grms of tamarind

A pinch of cumin seeds                                                 a pinch of cumin seeds

A quawtta teespoon of turmeric                                    2ml of turmeric

Six black peppacawns                                                   6 black peppercorns

One inch of cinnamon                                                  15ml of cinnamon

Six cloves                                                                      6 cloves

Mix the minced pawk an’ spice paste well. Braan the onions in ‘ot oil, add the meat mixture an’ stir fry foa ten minits. Then add arf a cup of wautta, a teespoon of shugga, sawlt an’ vinigga to taste. Cook until the meat is done and dry. Dependin’ on the size of the pie that you wants to make divide the dough into equal measures an’ usin’ yoa fingas press these bawls into to the well greased moulds. Spoon in sufficient of the cooked meat, cover wiv a pastry lid an’ seal the ‘empadinha’ wiv beaten egg yolk. They can then be placed a preheated oven, gas mark foa foa foateen minits.

There can be many variations in terms of the fillin’ an’ the shape of the pasty. A vegetable alternative is acceptable foa them ‘green hippies’ usin’ a mix of potatas, carrots, onions, peas, beans an’ so on. In Chile it is common to find a folded pastry case filled wiv fish in a sawse, oa beef oa fackin’ Alpaca. In Fraance they would deny ‘avin’ anyfink as common as a ‘pie’, but they ‘ave ‘em, they just call it ‘en croute’. The feem is the same awl ova the world, it is foa the common man, it is simply a savoury filling encased in pastry.