Brazilian Shrimp Pies

_________________________________________________

                            FOOD FUNNY
_________________________________________________

Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for todays bad food pun:

The story concerns a butcher who went into a pet shop. It
seems he fell in love with one the seagulls in the shop. Alas,
he had no money to spend, but the shop owner agreed to give
him the bird in exchange for some of his delicious German
sausage. The deal was made. It seems he took a tern for the wurst.

__________________________________________________

                            TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

Brazil, like all large countries, has different styles of cooking in
different regions. The people of Bahia in the north would spice
this recipe up with the addition of "malagueta," the local chile
pepper. Add cayenne to this recipe if you favor spicy foods.

Brazilian Shrimp Pies (Empanadas de Camarao)

For the dough:
3 cups (750 ml) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1/4 tsp (1 ml) white pepper
1/2 tsp (2 ml) turmeric
10 Tbs (150 ml) unsalted butter
6 Tbs (90 ml) lard
1 Egg
1/2 cup (125 ml) water

For the filling:
2 tbs (30 ml) butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cardamom
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) hearts of palm, drained and chopped
3 Tbs (45 ml) chopped parsley
1 lb (500 g) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped

For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 Tbs (30 ml) cold water, milk or cream

Sift flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric into a bowl, add lard and
butter and mix until the mixture makes a coarse meal. Add
egg and half the water. Continue mixing and adding water until
a firm dough is formed. Knead until the dough is smooth, then
wrap and chill for 15-30 minutes. In a small skillet, heat butter;
add onion and garlic, cook over medium heat until onion is
translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cardamom, cloves,
salt, pepper, and optional cayenne. Cook about 8 minutes. Add
hearts of palm and cook 5 minutes more, or until liquid has
evaporated. Set filling aside and let cool, or refrigerate overnight,
well covered. Make glaze by mixing egg yolk and cold water
together. Set aside. On a floured board, roll out dough 1/8 inch
(3 mm) thick and cut 3 to 4 inch (8 to 10 cm) squares. Knead
scraps and re roll, repeat making squares until all the dough is
used. Put one tablespoon (15 ml) of the filling into the center
of each square, put shrimp on top, moisten edges of dough
with the glaze and form a triangle. Press edges together with
a fork to seal. Place empanadas on a greased baking sheet.
Brush with remaining glaze and bake in a preheated 400F
(180 C) oven for 25 minutes, or until golden.
Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, serve warm.
Serves 8 to 12 as an appetizer.
Received on Mon Dec 27 13:30:49 2010