MAKES ONE 10-INCH/25-CM EMPANADA; SERVES 6 TO 8
Galician cookbooks tend to be heavily weighted with recipes for seafood—no surprise there, as the region is one of the largest sources of it in Europe—and for empanadas. Empanadas are savory filled “pies” or pastries. These cookbooks often include a dozen or more traditional savory empanadas filled with everything from bacalao con pasas (salt cod with raisins), to vieiras (scallops), fresh berberechos (cockles, often made with a bit of corn flour in the dough), or lomo (pork). While they can make entire meals, they are excellent served as a generous, filling tapa.
This marinated pork empanada with onions and red bell pepper—called empanada de raxo in Galician—remains a classic from the region’s interior. Many cooks add flakes of dried oregano to the marinade and a smashed hard-boiled egg to the stuffing to make it a bit more filling. A touch of sweet paprika in the dough gives it a distinctive golden tone.
1. In a large bowl, blend the garlic, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the wine, 1 teaspoon of the pimentón, and the oregano. Season with salt and add the bay leaf and pork. Turn over to coat. Cover and marinate for at least a couple of hours.
2. Meanwhile, put the flour in a wide bowl and sprinkle in the remaining pimentón and 1 teaspoon salt, blend with your fingers, and make a crater in the middle. Dissolve the yeast in the milk and add along with one egg. Begin working into a ball while adding 2 tablespoons olive oil. (Add a touch more milk if needed.) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work space and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, until supple and elastic and slightly tacky. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm corner of the kitchen for about 1 hour, or until about doubled in size.
3. In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, add the onions, and cook until they begin to soften and turn pale, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook until it and the onions are tender and sweet, about 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet toward the end. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Preheat a heavy skillet over high heat. Discard the garlic and bay leaf from the marinade. Working in single-layer batches that don’t crowd the pan, quickly brown the pork in its marinade, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to the bowl and blend with the onions and bell peppers.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6.
6. Butter and flour a 10½>-inch/27-cm pie pan or line it with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.
7. Divide the dough in half, with one piece slightly larger than the other. (The larger piece will be used for the bottom, the smaller for the top covering.) On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger piece so that it will comfortably drape over the pie pan. Lay it over the pan, and gently tuck the inside against the sides of the pan.
8. Lay in the pork, bell pepper, and onions. Spread out in a thick, even layer.
9. Roll out the remaining piece of dough. Lay it on the top of the filling like a lid. Cut away and reserve the edges. Form a crimped edge by pinching the edges together with your fingers. Make a 1-inch/2.5-cm or so hole in the very center of the top to allow some steam to escape.
10. With the excess dough, decorate the top as desired. Roll out some pieces to run across the top or even make a cross, for instance, or make a simple braid to run along the edge.
11. Paint the top of the empanada with the whisked egg using a pastry brush.
12. Bake the empanada until the top is a lovely golden color, 20 to 25 minutes.
13. Let the empanada cool before slicing into portions and serving.
NOTE: Fresh baker’s yeast is sold in compressed cakes that are ivory-colored, moist, and crumbly. In North America, it is often sold in 0.6-ounce/17-g foil packets.