Galician Empanada Vegetariana | Baking Partners Spanish Feb Challenge

Originally from Galicia in Spain, Empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried. Popular in several Spanish speaking countries, its name comes from the word "Empanar" which means to wrap or coat in bread in Galician, Portugues and Spanish languages.

Its consists of  thin bread dough made of wheat and corn flour (makkai ka aatta, not cornstarch) and stuffed with seafood, meat or even a mixture of vegetables called "zaragallada". It is a part of Galician identity though it is baked all over Spain. 

This time for Baking Partners Challenge by Swathi, Empanada was the chosen one by Marisa of ThermoFan. We were given the options of meat and vegetable fillings and obviously I went for vegetarian one. But I didn't go for zaragallada filling but just sauteed curried vegetables.

Ingredients:
Luke warm water: 100 ml + 75 ml
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Instant yeast: 1 tsp
All Purpose Flour: 250 g
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1 tsp

Zaragallada Filling:
Olive oil
Sweet onions, leek
Garlic cloves
carrots
aubergines
tomatoes red pepper 'zucchini
salt & pepper : to taste

Preparation:
Dissolve yeast and sugar into 100ml water mix well and let it stand until frothy.

In a big bowl, sift flour and salt together. Make a well and add in the ueast mix, 1 tbsp of oil and remaining water a little at a  time until we get a little sticky but elastic dough (dough starts to get sticky and is moist but not wet)

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently and increse the kneading to get a smooth and elastic dough. let it rest halfway through and then knead faster.

I unknowingly added all the water and ended up with a sticky dough. I had to add another 6-8 tbsp of flour to get a smooth and elastic dough. Make sure you add remaining water in tablespoons only if needed.

Form a ball and place in a floured bowl, cover with a wrap and let it ferment for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile keep the filling ready. You can make the zaragallada filling previous night and drain out the liquid overnight. I had prepared the filling in the morning and made sure it was dry. I just sauteed veggies adding curry powder.

When ready, gently deflate the dough- mine was sticky -, turn onto a floured counter, divide into half and  roll out each piece into a long rectangle within butter paper or transparent sheets sprinkled with flour- as it might get stuck to the paper or sheet.

You can roll out as thin as possible and if the dough shrinks while rolling out, rest it for 10 minutes or so before continuing the process.

Carefully transfer one rectangle onto the baking dish or tray. You can go for any shape though its traditionally rectangular.

Once a dough rectangle is on the baking sheet, fill it up with the filling prepared leaving an inch at the edges. Cover it with the other rectangle and seal the edges. You can use your fingers or even fork tines to seal the edges.You can nicely shape the rectangle or circle and decorate it with leftover dough pieces. You can go for smaller portions and even crescent shape.

The dough is not good in freezing and its better to use it up.

Once the empanada is ready brush it with egg wash(I went for milk )  and bake it in a preheated oven at 350F/180C for 30-35 minutes until the edges are brown and the top starts browning.

Take out and serve warm or at room temperature when it tastes best.

The bread turned out excellent and was filling. You can experiment with different fillings and turn it out differently each time. You can even use half wheat flour and make it more healthy.

Lets see how others made their empanadas!. Hop over to Swathi's post.

Pataqueta | Traditional Spanish Bread for Baking Partners # 17

Pataqueta is a crescent/moon shaped traditional bread from Valencia, Spain.  It is known since the seventeenth century and was originally consumed by inhabitants of valencia most fertile regions or the orchards or L' Horta when they went to work. These days it is not consumed daily but people prefer to consume the pataquetas -a diminutive form of 'pattaca' during the important festival of 'Fallas' which falls in the month of March every year.

Thanks to Marisa of Thermofan and Swathi of ZestySouthIndianKitchen we all baked pataquetas  for Baking Partners #17. I had tried to stick to the original shape and hope I have achieved it. The bread which is baked with steam has a firm crust, and soft crumb. Its perfect for the month of Thanksgiving and is vegan as well.

Ingredients:

Ferment:

Water: 100 ml / half cup

All Purpose Flour: 1/3 cup

Sugar: 1/2 tsp

Yeast: 1.5 tsp

Bread:

All the ferment

All Purpose Flour: 3 cup

Tepid water: 200 ml / 1 cup

Sea Salt: 1 and 3/4 tsp

Flour: for dusting the countertop/worksurface and bread

Preparation:

Prepare the ferment in a big bowl by adding water first and then sprinkling the yeast. Add the flour and sugar next and mix well. Cover this with a plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for overnight or uptil 48 hours.

Next day when yu are ready to make the bread, take this out, let it sit in room temperature for sometime and then add the water for the bread followed by flour. The salt is not to be added at this point.

Mix well and turn out the sticky mass that you get onto a dusted/floured worksurface and knead it for another 5 minutes. Then you sprinkle the salt on top of it and knead it again for another 5-10 minutes till you get a smooth and elastic dough.

Divide the dough into 150g pieces and let these rest on the dusted work surface for about 20 minutes or until it  doubles in size.At this point I freezed half of the pieces for later use.

Taking one piece at a time, flatten little with palm and making sure the shape is round, with a sharp knife cut  in from the centre along the radius and cut open towards outside to get a crescent moon shape. 

Transfer to a lined and dusted baking sheet and repeat the process with the rest of the pieces. Cover with a  dusted kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest until doubled for another 1 hour or so. At this point also you can chill them in the fridge for baking the next day or freeze them for future use.

When you are ready for baking, preheat the oven to 200C/ 392F.

Place a tray filled with water when there is just 5-8 minutes remaining for preheat to complete. While preheating, make two cuts along the sides of the pataquetas and sprinkle/dust flour on the top of the bread.

Place the baking sheet in the preheat oven and bake for around 30 minutes. Take out and let it cool for about 5 minutes in hte baking sheet after which transfer to wire rack for cooling completely.

The bread looks very rustic and is crunchy. Its prefect for soaking up gravies and can be consumed as such also or with tea.

Lets see how others baked the pataqueta. Hope on to Baking Partners Challenge # 17

Chickpea,Cucumber & Pomegranate Salad | Summer is here

Summer I feel is like an unwanted guest. We want the sun in winters but when sun shows its might we feel scorched,parched and basically mad. But look at the positives, it is the time for getting a shorter haircut (my daughter got), get summer clothes (is my H listening) , trendy up yourself to show off your fit sleeveless arms and wait more important ..

Runaway from kitchen!

The sun helps us to avoid being in the kitchen more than just necessary. While people are cautioned about about the diseases  the changing climate or scorching sun gives us, I am more interested in making cool quick desserts and salads and cold soups and going out and sleep more now that the schools are closed.And going out to cooler locales. 

Now don't think about hillstations.

Anything with an airconditioner is ok. The Bangalore sun is getting harsher day by day. I am happy to sit inside a/c room with iced deserts in hand. 

Anyway rather than continuing this silly monologue lets see the refreshing cucumber,chickpea and pomegranate salad. Its supposed to be a Spanish style salad very colourful and served during Thanksgiving. I can have it anytime. 

Ingredients:

Kabuli chana/White Chickpeas: 1/4 -1/2 cup presoaked and cooked.

Pomegranate: 1 medium to big size deseeded

Cucumber:  2 medium sized lightly peeled & chopped into small pieces

Garlic Clove: 2 small minced ( I used only 1)

Fresh Basil: handful chopped

Red Wine Vinegar: 1tbsp

Olive Oil: 2 tbsp 

Salt: as per taste 

Preparation:

Mix together the ingredients of chickpeas,pomegranate, cucumber, garlic and basil. Drizzle in vinegar and oil. Add & adjust salt and toss well.

The taste improves on sitting.A refreshing salad this is. The tangy dressing is apt for the comforting chickpeas,refreshing pomegranates, crunchy cucumber and wow basil. 

Simple, Comforting & Summery.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Watermelon for me is always sweet.I go for pops or juices or sorbets but enjoys it as such most of the times.  I never experiment with watermelon despite being inspired by several savoury recipes that I see in blogosphere. But this summer I thought I should try a simple gazpacho with it just for a change.

A gazpacho is a raw tomato based soup from Spain and watermelon gazpacho is an equally popular variation of the traditional one.I have adapted Tyler Florence's recipe from the FoodNetwork snd it turned out to be good or much better than expected. I was apprehensive before tasting it and was surprised that I could relate to the taste.

Ingredients:

Tomato: 1 small or 1/4 cup chopped
Watermelon: cubed 2 cups +more for garnish (optional)
Red onion: 2-3 tbsp
Cucumber: 2-3 tbsp + more for garnish

Garlic: 1 small clove
Green Chilly: 1 small(hot) or as per taste
Mint leaves: few as per taste

Salt, Pepper: as per taste

Red Wine Vinegar: 1 dash
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 tsp

Preparation:

Puree the melon,tomato,cucumber and onion together with little quantity of mint,garlic and chilly. Add salt and pepper and adjust the chilly. Make sure the garlic and mint are not overpowering. Add in red wine vinegar and EVOO and give a final blend.Do the taste test and adjust the seasoning.

You will be having a tangy,red,thick and spicy liquid.Chill till serving time. Garnish with cubed cucumber/melon croutons and serve as a cold starter.

A tangy and cold red soupThe mint leaves an understated refreshing taste. Instead of mint, dill leaves can be used and are more popular in gazpachos.The watermelon is there for colour and a hint of sweetness. Again it depends on the ratio of ingredients that you have used.

I won't say the soup was excellent,but it was nice and palatable.My daughter did not touch this  but yes, the official head of the family gave his stamp of approval and had more than his fair share. :) A nice twist to the sweet melon and good for summer too. Atleast people who love tanginess should try it out.

Salmorejo

This is a simple creamy and cold raw tomato soup from Cordoba in Spain.The basic ingredients are tomato,bread,garlic,vinegar and olive oil which are blended together.This is not gazpacho as it differs in the amount of bread used it seems.The tomatoes are supposed to be peeled while making this,but I referenced few blogs where this was given and they used tomatoes just as such.Here's the way I made this easy and tangy soup.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes: chopped almost 1.25 cup

Garlic: 1-2 cloves

Bread: any crusty bread can be used :cubed about 1/2 cup

Vinegar:1tsp+

Olive oil: 2 tsp+

Salt:as per taste

Preparation:

Soak the bread cubes in little water for a few minutes to soften them.In a blender add tomatoes,garlic,vinegar,and little bread and adding olive oil blend in to a thick soup.You can add more bread depending on the thickness you want.It took almost 1/2 cup for me to get the required soup consistency.Adjust salt and serve chilled or at room temperature garnishing with fresh cream or the quickest (as per me) pepper.

                                   

Pepper is not used tradionally and the thick soup is very hearty even without it.I loved the soup and licked the blender (ok I am a tomato person and a glutton as well) clean.The soup is tangy as tangy ingredients except bread are used.If you are not a tangy person you can give this a miss.You can also use this as a dip in which case you increase the amount of bread and optionally spice it up.Salmorejo is already on way to AWED:Spain at Priya's,an event by DK.

Escalivada-Roasted Vegetable Salad Spanish Style

This is a simple salad made by grilling/roasting ingredients primarily eggplant,onions,pepper and tomatoes to which a simple dressing is added.This is from Catalonia in Spain and is served as a tapas or appetizer.The idea behind tapas is to increase the appetite and this salad sure does that job and is easy to prepare. Escalivar means to roast over hot ashes/embers and thus the dish derived its name.

Ingredients:
Eggplant: 1 almost big
Onions: preferably white : 1-2 medium size
Red BellPepper: 1 big
Tomato: 1-2 medium size

Dressing:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 4+tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Red Wine Vinegar/Sherry Vinegar: 1-2 tbsp (optional)

Preparation:

I fire roasted each ingredient individually though this can be done in the oven or grill top.I did not peel or skin the vegetables except the onions whil roasting.Wrap each in aluminium foil and let it rest till completely cool preferably an hour.

Peel the eggplant,tomato and red pepper and cut into long strips and add together in a big bowl.For tomato and pepper,you can remove the seeds as well.I did not do this.For the onions,remove the outer roasted/charred skin and cut into rings.You can also use green pepper instead of red for making it more colourful.

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.Pour over the roasted salad and toss to mix well.You can add part of the onion rings as a garnish as well. Serve at room temperature as an appetizer on top of canapes or toasted bread or chips or whatever way you fancy.

The salad is truly appetizing and I loved it.The dressing is very simple but very appetizing.You can add garlic or anyother spice or herb to it and vinegar itself is optional.You can increase the no: of tomatoes if you want to avoid this.But this is one salad where I feel the presentation is as important as taste.All the (over)roasting,peeling,cutting into strips,tossing in a bowl is very simple but looks not that photogenic.So instead of mixing if you arrange the individual roasted items on salad plates and pour the dressing and let it sit then it would look presentable.

I know I have not done a good job with my pics as I simply tossed everything together but the salad is a sureshot appetizer that goes to AWED:Spain hosted by Priya, an event by dear DK.

Almond Soup - Spanish Style

Sopa de Almendras or Almond soup is a hearty Christmas soup in Spain. The filling soup is hearty and warm for wintery nights and is the first course in a traditional Christmas meal there.There are several regional versions for this soup some using potatoes instead of bread and some frying parsley along with the ingredients.I adapted a simple version from here where the soup is slightly spicy with the addition of cumin.

Ingredients:
Almonds: 1/2 cup blanched
Bread : 2-3 slices cubed
Garlic: 1-2 cloves chopped

Saffron: 1/4 tsp
Cumin
Peppercorns

Olive Oil
Salt
Vinegar:1/4 tsp
Veg Broth/Stock: 1 cup +
Parsley: for garnish

Preparation:
For blanching the almonds,I poured hot boiling water over almonds,let them sit for a minute and then drained them and poured cold water onto them and them drained them again and peeled them.

Heat olive oil in a pan,add garlic chopped and the blanched almonds.Saute till they turn brown.Remove the almonds and garlic and add to the blender.In the same oil add cubed bread and stir fry till they turn brown or golden brown.Switch off the stove and add in saffron.Mix well and then add three -fourth of the bread mix to the already roasted almonds in the blender.Alternately you can add in almonds and bread cubes and saffron and garlic together and saute.I did separately.Add in peppercorns,vinegar and cumin to the blender and blend in adding little of the broth to a fine paste.I went for a little coarse paste so that few almonds remained as such or broken.

Heat the rest of the vegetable stock and add the almond paste and salt to this.Bring to a boil,reduce to a simmer and cook for around 10-15 minutes till the soup thickens to a required consistency.If the soup is too thick add more stock/water.

Serve hot garnished with chopped parsley and remaining bread croutons and optionally extra blanched almonds and salt and pepper.

The soup is light brown and creamy and was filling and hearty.The soup is best when hot/warm and its no wonder its a Christmas soup.

Almonds are rich in monosaturated fatty acids and Vitamin E and thus help maintain healthy cholestrol levels and reduces heart risk.1 ounce of almonds a day can fulfill vitamin E requirement.They are rich in phosphorus and calcium and help maintain bone health and preven osteoporosis.The copper in almonds makes them useful in the production of blood haemoglobin and thus making them an easy homeremedy for anaemia.

On a lighter note,the 'A' in 'Almond' makes the soup perfectly eligible for the HOTM:A where the theme is hearty healthy dishes with main ingredients starting with the letter 'A' .Another hearty Almond soup tried and tasted is Indian Shahi Badam Shorba .

Patatas Bravas with Citrusy Sangria

'The Shadow of the wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a thrilling novel that takes you back to civil war infested Spain,the streets of Barcelona and tells you the intriguing story of an author Julian Carax,his books and how they influence a small boy Daniel Sempere who later grows up and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Carax.

Foodwise,you get bits of food thrown here and there-cinnamon shake,sponge cake ,fried potatoes,meat based stews & soups etc.I went for the easiest thing 'fried potatoes' or patatas bravas.

Tapas or appetizers are an important part of Spanish cuisine.There are several of tapas like marinated olives,fried potatoes with fiery/hot/brava sauce or several meat based appetizers.These are usually served with alcohol most popular of which is Sangria.

Patatas bravas are basically fried potato cubes with hot sauce.Potatoes which are peeled and cubed and optionally parboiled are deep fried or as in modern times roated/shallow fried.These are served with fiery brava sauce which is made using tomatoes and hot dried chillies. I adapted the recipe from here

Ingredients:
For the Patatas
Potatoes: atleast 3 big
Olive oil : for deep frying

Brava sauce
Tomatoes: 2 big
Tomato Paste: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1 medium
Garlic: 1 clove
Dry Red Chilly: 2-3
Paprika: as per taste
Sugar: a pinch
Salt: as per taste
Pepper
Flour: 1-3 tsp

Preparation:
Patatas:
Peel the potatoes,chop them into bite sized cubes.Parboil them in salted boiling water for 5-7 minutes.This is optional but I did it.If parboiled,drain them and them allow them to cool a little bit.

Heat olive oil in a pan and them deep fry the potato cubes to golden brown in batches if needed.Drain on paper towels.

Brava Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a small pan.Add garlic,dry chillies and chopped onion and saute till the onion gets transparent.Add chopped tomatoes,paprika,sugar,salt, tomato paste/puree and chopped tomato .Instead of paste,you can add chopped tomatoes itself.Continue sauteeing for a few more minutes adding few tbsps of water if necessary.

Once the tomatoes get cooked,add around 1/4 cup of water to which 2 tsp of flour has been added. and mixed well.Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes till the sauce thickens.Cool and blend the mixture.Strain through the strainer and serve warm/hot/cold with patatas adjusting the salt.

If using tomato paste,then no need to add the flour as it would be already thick.Check for the required sauciness and add flour.Mine looks too thick than a flowing sauce.

Sangria:

Normally Sangria is based on redwine and has fruits,sweetners and alcohol.I made a simple citrusy sangria from here using red grape juice as a base.You can use pomegranate juice as a base as well.Then I added other citrus juices like lemon,lime and orange juices and cubed fruits and served it adding ice cubes.

Ingredients:
Red Grape Juice: 1.5 cups
Lemon Juice: 1 small lemon
Sweet Lime Juice: 2-3 medium size sweet limes
Orange Juice: 2 small oranges
Sugar,ice cubes: as per taste
Mixed fruit cubes: Apple and oranges

Preparation:

In a big bowl,mix together all the juices,check for sweetness or your preferred taste and add sugar,chilled water/ice cubes and then chill until serving time.

In a mug/glass,put ice cubes,fruit cubes and little sugar if needed ,pour the drink and serve along with your favourite tapas -'Patatas Bravas'

The blend of juices without sugar or chilled water is too citrusy.If you prefer tangy or sweet sour taste you serve as such adding just ice cubes and pinch of sugar.I wanted it to be slightly sweet so added more sugar.

The entire combo was good.Only thing I felt was Sangria was citrusy without water.So adjust the juices and sugar as per you taste.Patatas obviously are well loved an the brava sauce is spicy and okay with the Indian palate.There are several versions of the brava sauce some with mayo as well.

This delectable combo being made for Carax and Daniel, is also going to FIC:Delectable combinations, hosted by Kamalika and started by Sunny SunshineMom.The multiple colours are perfect combo as well.

Now,lets check out what other members have comeup with for this months bookclub.Simran made delicious Swiss Hot Chocolate.Lets wait for others as well.Meanwhile enjoy the patatas and the sangria.