Empanada Gallega (Galician Chicken & Pepper Pie)
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 60 min.
This recipe uses chicken, smoked ham or chorizos (optional), onions, green and red peppers, peas and black olives. A favorite recipe from Gallicia, the Northwestern corner of Spain. The name Empanada comes from the Spanish verb empanar, which means to wrap or coat in bread (bread=pan). Chicken leftovers are ideal for this dish. Don't be intimidated making your own dough. Once you have mastered it you will use it with all sorts of fillings.
We prepare this dish in three parts: first the pastry, then the filling and finally the most tricky part, putting the filling in the pastry, which is then baked.
Ingredients:
Pastry:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teasp salt
- 60 gr (4 tbsp) cold butter or margarine cut into small pieces
- 120 gr (1/2 cup) cottage cheese
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
Filling:
- 500 - 600 gr (about 2 1/2 cups) cooked chicken, skinless, diced or shredded
- 125gr (4oz) smoked ham like Serrano or Prosciutto, slivered or sliced chorizos (optional)
- 125 gr (1/4 cup) onions, diced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 60 gr (1/4 cup) green peppers, diced
- 60 gr (1/4 cup) red peppers, diced
- 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (you may use canned tomatoes, just drain them well)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teasp fresh rosemary or 1/2 teasp. dried rosemary
- 1 teasp fresh thyme or 1/2 teasp. dried thyme
- 125 gr (1/2 cup) green peas, if frozen, thawed
- 10-12 black, oil cured olives without pits
