Little Pies Empadinhas Recipes

Steps:

• For the tartlet crusts: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, oil, egg yolks and butter. Using a spoon or by hand, mix until the dough is no longer sticky. Take a nub of dough about the size of a large marble, place it in a tartlet pan, and press very thinly to cover the inside (thick enough to cover but not so thin that the pan shows through). Pinch off the dough for a clean edge; set aside. Repeat with remaining dough to make twenty tartlet crusts.
• For the filling: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter and onions, and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine flour with 1 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth and blended. Add to saucepan, and stir until beginning to thicken.
• Add remaining 1/2 cup milk, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add hearts of palm, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Divide the mixture among the crust-filled pans, and sprinkle with cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake until tops are lightly golden, about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Turn each pan upside down, and the tartlet should fall into your hands upside down and all in one piece. Turn right side up, and serve.

Steps:

• Cut the butter into the flour mixed with the salt until the butter is the size of peas. Add one egg at a time until the dough forms a consistency that you can flatten in your flowered hand. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest 2 hours. This dough should not be handled too much. Roll into balls and flatten and place in little 1-inch ungreased pie tins. Fill with beef, shrimp, chicken or cheese filling (see below). Make a small ball of dough, flatten and place on top of the little pie. Squeeze around the edges to seal. Beat an egg yolk and paint the top of the little pies. Bake in a hot oven-400 degrees for 20 minutes and then reduce heat and bake at 350 degrees for 30 more minutes and serve immediately. These pies may be made in any size pans. The small pies are made for appetizers, the larger pies for a main course cut into serving pieces. If it is a large pie, you could call it an empadão. The individual meal size pies are called empada. The baking time will vary according to the pan size.

Steps:

• Boil the chicken, when tender remove meat from bones and skin. If necessary, continue to boil the broth until it reduces to 2 cups. Heat the frying pan and melt butter, add chopped tomatoes without skin or seeds. Add the chopped onion and stir fry. Add the chicken broth and simmer until tender. Add the flour that has been dissolved in 1/2 cup water-it should be thick. Add the chopped green olives, grated boiled eggs, chopped parsley and the chopped green pepper, chopped palmitos or peas. Add the chicken cut into small pieces. Let cool. Mixture should be cold and thick before putting into the little pastry shells.

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.