Empanada de tuna

The Empanada or turnover, is another one of those food items which has found its way into so many cultures and cuisines. Empanada, literally means within bread or dough. Think about apple turnovers in America; surely this is the pre-curser to the Pop-Tart! In the UK, there are handheld Pasties, which are savory meat filled turnovers or pies. Argentina is known for it’s handheld, fried empanadas which are sold all over the city in Buenos Aires. In Asian cultures, think dumplings. You could easily argue that tacos are the Mexican version of turnovers or empanadas. And, I’m guessing most cultures and cuisines have a version of this delightful turnover.

My version is from Spain. It is not the usual small, handheld version, although it could be. This Empanada is a large double (2-sided) puff-pastry filled with onions and tomatoes, sauteed until they are sweet, then finished with canned or jarred tuna. I’ve taken a shortcut and used store bought puff pastry for my simple version, whose filling ingredients are unlikely, but like the Chicken Tonnato recipe, the tuna becomes the best co-star; allowing the other ingredients to shine, while stealing the show. The better the tuna, the better the empanada. But, why stop with tuna? I encourage you to play with ingredients once you’ve built your confidence in the execution. This can be an elegant dish at a party, a nice entree for a quiet dinner or perfect when pre-cut for a picnic. In Spain this is classic picnic food. Explore other fillings too. Try spinach and cheese or chicken instead of tuna and, the Argentinian favorite; ground beef, speckled with green olives and pimentos. There are also unlimited versions of sweet empanadas too. Guava and cheese, membrillo, apple. After all, pastry is the perfect partner for all sorts of fillings. What doesn’t taste better when it’s wrapped and baked in pastry until golden and crisp?