Salt cod empanadilla

Name: Salt cod empanadilla
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: about 24
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 150g plain flour; 150g self-raising flour; 1 tsp salt; 150ml extra-virgin olive oil; 150ml fino sherry

Brigitte Hafner

October 19, 2011

Time:1-2 hoursMakes:about 24

The most delicious party snack. It has a creamy, salty, cod filling and the dough is delicate, flaky and tastes of yeasty sherry and fruity olive oil. The dough is foolproof, and these empanadillas are great cold. Note: you need to soak the baccala, salt cod for no less than 24 hours before making the mixture, which can be made up to a day before.

Ingredients

Dough

150g plain flour
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
150ml fino sherry

Filling

3 small, fluffy potatoes
500g piece salt cod, cut into 5cm pieces and soaked in a large pot of cold
water for 24 hours, changed four times
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 pinches chilli flakes
300ml cream
1 egg yolk
4 cups olive oil, or vegetable oil
sea salt

Method

To make dough, place the flours and salt in a bowl and pour in the olive oil and sherry. Mix and gently knead until it forms a soft dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and rest for half an hour.
To make filling, boil the potatoes in their skin until soft. Drain and peel when cool. Mash.
Remove the skin and bones from the cod and discard, chop the flesh into small pieces.In a pot saute the onion in oil until soft, add the garlic and chilli and cook until the onions are golden brown. Add the baccala and cream and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes or until the cream has mostly reduced and the cod is a creamy, wet paste. Add the boiled, skinned and mashed potatoes and combine.
Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until needed. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 10cm rounds. If sticking, simply use a little more flour.
Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each piece of dough, brush a little beaten egg yolk on the edges of one side and fold over into a half-moon. Crimp the edges with a fork; set aside on a floured surface.
Continue until you have used all the pastry, placing them in one layer on a floured surface - not stacked.
In a small pot or wok heat two cups of the oil until very hot.
Hold an empanadilla in - if the oil forms lots of small bubbles it is hot enough. Slide in 3-4 at a time, they will take less than a minute - fry until puffed and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with sea salt.