Ingredients to make Empanada Gallega base:
The stir fry:
- 2-3 medium onions
- 1 small bell pepper
- 1 medium tomato
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Salt
- Sweet paprika
- Pepper
- Abundant oil
For the mass:
- 500 grams flour
- 200cc of warm water
- 12 tablespoons of sofrito oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
- 1 hazelnut pressed baker’s yeast
How to make a Galician Empanada base:
Chop the small vegetables, reserving the tomato, and sauté them over low heat in abundant oil (because later you will use part of the oil to make the dough). While it is being made, prepare and season the main ingredient of the empanada (meat, fish, shellfish…) according to the recipe.
When the stew is half done, season it with salt and pepper, add the peeled and chopped tomato and leave it to continue cooking until everything is poached, that is, broth and the transparent onion, then adding a pinch of sweet paprika and the main ingredient of the empanada (cod already stew, meat, etc…), lightly frying it. Then let it cool before using it on the empanada. Put the flour in a bowl, make a hole in the center and add all the ingredients and the crumbled yeast.
Mix the ingredients little by little with your fingers or a wooden spoon and finish kneading by hand on a smooth surface. You should have a soft, elastic and non-sticky dough, being able to add a little more flour or water if necessary.
Half-knead gramala with 3-4 more tablespoons of oil from the sofrito, which will help bind the dough. Form a ball and let it rest for about 1 hour before using it.
Elaboration of the Empanada: Divide the bun of dough in 2 in half, one will be to make the base and the other for the lid. Roll out the base with a rolling pin on the floured table in a round or square shape, leaving it about 2 mm thick, line the greased mold or oven tray with it (or if you prefer, lined with aluminum foil or beard also greased) and spread the sofrito over it, drained but brothy and oily.
Also stretch the lid, cover the base with it, tighten the edges, decorate it with strips made with the leftover dough and then braid it around it, making a hole in the middle of the breath. Paint it with a brush with a well-beaten egg and then chop it symmetrically in several places with scissors so that it does not inflate when cooked.
Cooking: Cook it over high heat (200-220 degrees) and medium height in a previously heated oven until it is golden and just right (about 45 minutes).
When it comes out of the oven, and still very hot, give it a few brushstrokes with raw oil if you want, which will give it a special flavor.
