Name: Empanada
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; ½ Spanish onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 red capsicum, finely diced; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 400 gm canned crushed tomatoes; 1½ tbsp Sherry vinegar; 400 gm canned tuna in oil, drained well; 4 eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 lightly beaten for eggwash; Empanada dough; 335 gm plain flour (2¼ cups); 115 gm butter, chilled, coarsely chopped; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Centuries before Tupperware and snap-lock bags there was the empanada: a handy parcel of food packaged in a simple bread dough or pastry. It was the Galician working man’s lunch, the on-road meal of choice for farmers, fishermen and pilgrims. So embedded is the empanada in Spanish culture that it even features in the elaborately sculpted 12th-century Pórtico de la Gloria of Galicia’s Santiago de Compostela.

The empanada’s lasting appeal is, of course, tied to its versatility and convenience: the “packaging” is edible, it can be filled with almost anything that’s in season, it makes excellent use of leftovers, and can be eaten on the run.

The name comes from the Spanish verb “empanar”, meaning to wrap in pastry or coat in bread. Inside you’ll find almost any meat or seafood, often mixed with a sautéed combination of onion, capsicum and chilli. The pie is then either baked or deep-fried. Today, there are countless variations sold all over Spain and Latin America – either by the wedge or as individual empanadillas.

At Sugarloaf Patisserie in Sydney’s Kogarah, Kurt Bieder makes an Argentine version (deep-fried crescents filled with beef and egg) and a Chilean version (baked squares of meat, egg and olive). In the latter, he’ll pop in sultanas on request – often from his older South American customers who enjoy the classic burst of sweetness. As for the pastry, he says the secret is the lard, and getting the thickness right. “Too thick and the empanada will be doughy; too thin and the contents will break out.”

The Colombian version, meanwhile, uses no fat, just maize flour and water. “The texture is very different to other empanadas,” says Matt O’Donohue from Marcelita’s Empanadas in Perth. “Pretty much all the ones you’ll find on street corners in Colombia are deep-fried, and the outer shell is very crisp and crunchy.”

The dough we’ve opted for below is classic Galician with its addition of butter and vinegar. But whichever pastry you use, says O’Donohue, remember it’s foremost a “delivery vehicle for the fillings, which should be generous with punchy flavours”. Right on.

Practical and tasty, this pastry-wrapped savoury parcel has long been a treat for pilgrims and workers alike.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

½ Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red capsicum, finely diced

2 tsp smoked paprika

400 gm canned crushed tomatoes

1½ tbsp Sherry vinegar

400 gm canned tuna in oil, drained well

4 eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 lightly beaten for eggwash

Empanada dough

335 gm plain flour (2¼ cups)

115 gm butter, chilled, coarsely chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method

Main

1.For empanada dough, process flour, butter and 1 tsp fine salt in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Combine egg, vinegar and 80ml iced water in a bowl. Turn out flour mixture on a lightly floured surface, drizzle with egg mixture and bring together with the heel of your hand to combine (do not overwork). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).

2.Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until very tender (8-10 minutes), then add capsicum and paprika and stir occasionally until tender (5-6 minutes). Add tomato and simmer until thick (10-15 minutes). Add vinegar, season to taste and set aside. When cool, stir in tuna and set aside.

3.Cook eggs in a saucepan of simmering water until hard-boiled (8 minutes), drain, refresh, peel, quarter and set aside.

4.Preheat oven to 190C. Halve dough and roll out a piece on a lightly floured surface to a rough 20cm x 32cm rectangle. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and spread with tuna mixture, leaving a 2cm border on all sides. Scatter with egg, brush edges with eggwash and season to taste. Roll out remaining dough to a 20cm x 32cm rectangle, place over mixture, press to seal, trim excess pastry, crimp up edges, brush with remaining eggwash and bake until golden and heated through (30-35 minutes). Cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.