Espinagada. Majorcan Pie

With this basic pastry dough you can make a variety of pies.
In Majorca there are as many variations as there are cooks.
The name literally means 'full of spinach' and the vegetables can be combined with fish or pork.

For the pastry:

• 100 gr melted lard or butter
• 100 ml olive oil
• 200 ml orange juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• flour, between 300-350 grams
  

Mix all of the ingredients for the pastry with a fork in a bowl, this way you can avoid getting your hands too dirty. Start with a little flour at a time until the pastry comes together. Once it starts to form a dough, finish with your hands. Handle it as little as possible.

Make a ball with the pastry, cover in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Filling:

• 200 gr shredded spinach
  
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 2 cans of tuna in oil
• salt, pepper, chili flakes to taste
  

Fry the onion gently in a little oil, for about 5 minutes until starting to colour. Add the shredded spinach, cook for a further 3 minutes. Season and turn off the heat.
Now mix the spinach with the tuna. Let it cool down.

Cut the pastry in two equal pieces. Roll out half of the pastry and use it to line a greased shallow pie plate. Place the stuffing on the pastry.
Roll out another circle of pastry and place on top of the vegetables. Crimp the pie closed.

Bake for 35 minutes at 180ºC.
Serve hot or cold.

Bread Sticks, Grisini

These are the bread stick served in Italian restaurants, they are fun and easy to make.
Ingredients:

• 100 ml warm water
• 40 ml oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp fast acting bakers yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 200-300 gr plain flour
• Optional favouring: grated cheese, chopped herbs etc

Mix all of the wet ingredients and the salt in a bowl; add enough flour to make a dough. Knead briefly.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cut into even sized strips.
Place the grisini on a non stick baking tray, giving them room to rise.

Pour a little extra oil over the biscuits and let them rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
Bake them at 170ºC for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy.

Serve them before a meal, with a creamy dip such as hummus or sour cream and chives.

Bagels

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons of yeast.
• 2 tablespoons of sugar.
• 1 tablespoon of salt.
• 400 of bread flour, more if required
  
• 200 ml of warm water
  

Preparation:

Place the dough ingredients in a large bowl and knead for 10 minutes.
Alternatively, make your favourite bread dough. Let it rise once in the bowl.

When the dough is risen, punch it down and remove it to a well floured surface; cut into 8 equal pieces and shape to form donut shapes.

Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes or until they have risen again.

Bring 2 litres of water to boil with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Poach all the bagels, 2 or 3 at a time, for 5 minutes, turning them once.
Take them out of the water, put them on a towel to dry slightly.

Preheat your oven to 175°Centigrade.
Place simmered bagels on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 175º centigrade for about 25 minutes or until brown.

Serve cold, with salmon and cream cheese, or ham and pickle, etc.

Argentine Empanadas (pasties)

These 'empanadas' are very well known by Argentinians, they adore them and so do all of my family and friends.
You can make other fillings for them such as cheese and onion, spinach, ham and cheese.

       Here is the basic recipe for the traditional meat stuffed empanadas. This makes enough for 20 empanadas.
       They are served as appetizers, or also as a light lunch or dinner, with a green salad.

For the Pastry:

• 150 ml melted lard
• 150 ml water or milk
• pinch of salt
• plain flour, about 350-400 gr

Pout the lard into a bowl and mix in the water or milk and the salt.
Now add flour little by little and mix in with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Once the dough comes together you can start using your hands to finish. Do not overwork the pastry.
Cover the pastry dough in cling film and refrigerate until needed.

Meanwhile prepare the filling:

• 150 gr minced meat (preferably beef)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small potato, cooked and chopped
• 1 cooked egg, chopped (optional)
• a few black olives, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt, pepper
• pinch of nutmeg

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the spices and stir for a few seconds. Add the meat and separate it with a fork; add the onion and the peppers; fry for 5 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.
Take the meat out of the pan and put it in a bowl to cool down. You can now add the potato and the egg and olives if you are using them. Let the filling cool down completely.

Assemble the pies:
Roll out the pastry and cut circles that are 10cm across. You should get 16-20 of them.
Hold one pastry circle in one hand and put a teaspoon of the filling inside.
Close the pasty and crimp it to seal.
Make the rest of the pasties in the same way; arrange them on an ovenproof tray; sprinkle them with oil.
Bake in the oven at 180ºC for about 35-40 minutes until golden.
Serve hot.

Curry Patties

This is one of these dishes that I remember eating as a young girl whenever we went to cocktail parties with my parents. They are small patties that you can eat with your fingers.


Ingredients for the dough:

• 100 ml oil
• 100 ml melted lard
• 200 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
  
• Flour, as needed (about 450gr)

For the curry stuffing:

• 150gr minced meat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
  
• salt and pepper
  

Prepare the dough:
Pour the oil, lard and water into a bowl, add a good teaspoon of salt and then slowly add the flour, mixing it in with a fork first and then using your hands, until it becomes a smooth dough.
Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the stuffing:
Fry the onion for 5 minutes in 1 tbsp butter, add the curry powder and grated coconut. Cook for one minute and add the meat, separating it with a fork. Let the meat cook for around 6-7 minutes, taste if it needs more seasoning. Turn the heat off and pour the curry mix into a bowl. Let it cool down completely.

Assemble the patties: turn on the oven to 180ºC
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 3mm. Cut out as many 15cm diameter circles as possible, it should yield about 25-30 patties. Reserve them on a board.
Now take a circle of pastry in one hand and fill with a dessertspoonful of curry. Close the patty by pinching the sides. Repeat the process until all the meat is finished. Put the patties on an ovenproof tray, bake for 35 minutes until browned.

NOTE: any leftover pastry makes a delicious 'torta' that can be eaten for breakfast topped with jam or sugar.
Roll out the leftover pastry, cut it into circles or any shape. Fry in a little oil, on a hot pan for a few minutes on each side. They will puff up slightly.