Brazilian Empadinhas Recipes

BRAZILIAN CHICKEN POT PIE (EMPADãO DE FRANGO)

Steps:

• In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil and, once hot, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook them with the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes, until softened.
• Add the shredded chicken,olives, corn (if using), peas (if using), hearts of palm (if using), tomato sauce, hot sauce and stir to combine. Then, add the chicken broth and the flour dissolved in milk. Lower the heat to medium low and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is gone and the filling is creamy and lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chopped parsley and stir to incorporate.
• Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cool completely before assembling the pie.
• Combine the flour and the salt in a large bowl.
• Add the egg yolks and stir using a wooden spoon.
• Then add the butter and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the water, a few tablespoons of a time, and continue working with your fingers until the dough comes together. You might not need all the water!
• Wrap the dough and chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• When the dough is chill, cut 1/3 of the dough and reserve. Roll out the remaining dough to about 12" round. Place the pastry in a 9-inch spring form pan, making sure the dough also covers the sides (since we have lots of filling!), and prick it all over with a fork.
• Add the cold filling, smoothing it out so its evenly distributed.
• Then, roll out the remaining dough and place it on top of the filling, sealing the pie and tucking the edges.
• Using a knife, make two cuts in the center of the top crust, so that steam can escape while baking.
• Brush the pie with the lightly beaten egg yolk.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and the filling piping hot.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

HEARTS OF PALM HAND PIES (EMPADINHAS)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Add the egg and egg yolk and mix with your hands until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough as we do not want to develop gluten. If needed, you can add a little bit of cold water, about a teaspoon at a time.
• Wrap your dough in plastic and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the hearts of palm and olives and mix to combine.
• Stir in the flour, cooking for about a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. Then, add the milk and cream cheese, stirring until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the chopped parsley and reserve until cooled to room temperature so you can assemble the hand pies.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using your hands, cut a small portion of the dough (about 2 tablespoons) and press it into the bottom of an egg tart mold, making sure there is a little extra hanging off the edges.
• Using a spoon, top the bottom crust with as much filling as you can fit. I pile it up high as I like my empadinhas very plump.
• Grab another portion of dough and press it into a disk. Place the disk on top of the assembled pie, pinching to seal edges together. You can then run your fingers across the circumference of the mold to "cut" the excess dough.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, forming about 10 small hand pies. Place them on a baking sheet.
• Brush the pies with egg wash and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

BRAZILIAN EMPADINHAS

Steps:

• DOUGH Cut butter into salt and flour.
• Stir in rest of the ingredients and knead to combine or just process everything until it forms a ball.
• Let rest covered 1 hour Make balls the size of a walnut, from 2/3 of the dough and line small muffin tins with the dough.
• Place 2 tsp. of the cold filling into the lined tins.
• Make small balls with the rest of the dough.
• Flatten them to make lids for the mini pies.
• Brush tops with egg yolk Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• SHRIMP FILLING Clean and devein shrimp, saving heads and shells.
• Make a broth with the shells and heads and 2 cups water.
• Cook 1 hour, uncovered over low heat. Strain broth and cook it down to 1/2 cup.
• Cook onions and garlic in olive oil until they start changing color.
• Add bell pepper and cook 2 minutes, Add tomatoes, broth and seasonings and simmer almost to a paste. Add shrimp and cook just until they become opaque. Stir in cornstarch diluted in 2 Tbsp water.
• Stir until thick.
• Add parsley.
• Let cool before using
• NOTES : May use other fillings such as chicken, hearts of palms, cheese Miriam Podcameni Posvolsky Rio de Janeiro

EMPADINHAS (BRAZILIAN SHRIMP PIES)

Steps:

• Make the dough.
• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
• Place the butter, shortening, eggs, salt, and 1 cup water in the well.
• Using one hand to mix, squeeze these ingredients through your fingers to make a paste.
• Gradually work in the flour, squeezing the dough between your fingers to mix it.
• Add water as necessary: the dough should be quite soft.
• Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Prepare the filling.
• Peel and devein the shrimp (my favorite yucky part...).
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
• Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown.
• Add the shrimp, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, plus water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked.
• Strain the shrimp, reserving the broth.
• Finely chop the shrimp by hand or in the food processor.
• Stir in the flour, peas, and olives.
• Stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the reserved broth: the filling should be moist but not runny.
• Add enough cayenne to give the shrimp mixture a little bite.
• Pinch off cherry-sized pieces of dough and use them to line the tartlet molds.
• Push the dough in with your thumb.
• The dough should just reach over the top of the mold.
• Place a spoonful of filling in each crust.
• Roll out the remaining dough and cut out tops for the empadinhas.
• Try to capture an air bubble when you place the top over the filling: this is what makes the pie light.
• Seal the tartlets by pinching together the top and bottom crust.
• Note: the empadinhas can be prepared ahead to this stage and frozen.
• Preheat the oven to 375° F.
• Brush the tops of the empadinhas with egg glaze.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Unmold and serve.
• If you're lazy like me, try this big pie version, called empadão: make the filling and use Pillsbury pie crusts, one for the bottom and one for the top.
• Fantastic dinner stuff!
• To make chicken empadinhas-------------.
• Cook the chicken and prepare the broth.
• Place the chicken in a small saucepan with the garlic, onion, bay leaf and water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
• Drain the chicken, reserving the broth.
• When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and finely shred the meat.
• Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
• Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown.
• Add the chicken, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, plus water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Procede as in step 3 above, stirring in the flour, peas, and olives.
• And so on.