In the Kitchen: Empanadas de la "Wellas"

My Abuela and her sister, my Tia Bina, (affectionately referred to as "the Wellas") are two  of the most influential women in my life (I'm lucky to be surrounded by so many inspirational women) , especially when it comes to cooking. My Abuela is always eager to whip something up for us in the kitchen. As a kid, it was something I took advantage of, but now I find it endearing as hell. And, now that I have my own home, I totally get it. I must have that Spanish gene that makes you just want to stuff people's faces and warm their bellies with good food and conversation just like every other woman I grew up around.

One of my favorite dishes that Abuela and Tia Bina make is Empanada. Stuffed with sautéed veggies and meat, the smell of a cooking empanada totally reminds me of being at Abuela’s house anxiously awaiting to perform my official “taste tester” duties.

These can be made as hand pies by rolling a 5 inch circle of dough, filling it, then folding it over and pinching it together with a fork. However, when Tia and Abuela make them for the massive amount of family around, they use this more “casserole” like preparation.

Here it is, from my family to yours:

Empanadas a la “Wellas”

What you’ll need:

Filling-

3 lb. roasted pork, shredded

or 3 lg. cans of tuna, drained

3 red peppers

3 green peppers

1 lg. onion

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf1 can whole tomatoes

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

½ Cup oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Dough-

6 Cups flour

1 Tbsp. salt

1 lb. unsalted butter

1 Cup milk

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

3 eggs

1 egg, beaten and reserved for egg wash

Filling: Cook onions, peppers and garlic in oil until tender. Add whole tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add tuna or pork. Drain and set aside

Dough: Mix salt and flour. Add butter. Mix like pie dough. Add eggs. Add the vinegar to the cup of milk. Add milk mixture to the flour mixture. Incorporate all ingredients then set aside.

Divide dough in half. Roll out half of dough and place in jelly roll pan. Add filling. Roll out second half of dough and place on top. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Once removed from oven, let it set for a couple minutes afterward.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do. The smell of a freshly baked empanada is like a warm hug. I love how food connects us all in that way. What recipes do you remember growing up with?

In the Kitchen: Salt Crusted Fish

This New Year, B has decided to be as ecotarian as possible, which I find to be an extremely admirable goal. Basically, he's trying to stay away from meat that isn't local or he hasn't hunted himself (ie venison, pheasant, and other things in our chest freezer). Environmentally friendly species of fish, however, are still on the list which is cool with me because I prefer seafood anyways. One my favorite ways to prepare fish is to bake it in a salt-shell so in honor of B's New Year's resolution, here is my method of preparation for salt-crusted fish.

The first time I had this dish was when I was in Torremolinos, Spain and I absolutely fell in love. Not only is it tasty, but it is a great dish to prepare when you have company over. The time it takes to bake the fish gives you ample time to hang out with your guests and it is an easy crowd pleaser that is sure to impress.

 Here is how I go about making Salt-Crusted Fish:

Start by finding a great seafood department. This dish is typically made with a whole fish (scaled and gutted) but if you don't have a local fish monger at your fingertips you can also grab two large fillets and put them together (skin side out).

Now, to the preparation:

This is what you'll need: A nice sized whole fish or two fillets stacked together skin side out, about 2 lbs of kosher salt (mix this with 1/3 cup water and you've got your salt mix!), 1 lemon, herbs of your choice.

• Pre-Heat oven to 475 degrees
• Line your pan with parchment paper
• Make a bed of salt 3/4 of an inch thick for your fish to lay on
• Slap your fish down on the salt
• Fill the cavities of the fish with lemon slices and your favorite herbs (I like to use fresh oregano, sage, and basil from my garden)
• COMPLETELY cover the fish with salt, packing it into a nice mound
• Pop it in the oven, leave it for 45 minutes or until the salt gets a nice brownish crust on it
• Use some heavy kitchen utensils to crack open the salt
• Behold the tender and juicy goodness that is your salt-crusted fish and serve

An important note:
Make sure to use a non-endangered species of fish! Many seafood species have become drastically over-fished and are about to become extinct. For a great way to make sure your seafood is sustainably sound, check out the system the fine folks at Monterey Bay Aquarium are using to make these decisions easy for all of us.

P.S. Thank you Haley, at Haley O'Brian Photography for the photos!