Turnovers( Pastéis ) -

Turnovers
( Pastéis )

Street vendors in Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities serve hot, savoury pastéis during Carnival and other celebrations. This recipe is for chicken pastéis, which are among the most common in Brazil. However, beef and shrimp are also used and delicious vegetarian pastéis are made with potatoes or even with sweet fillings such as fruit.

Ingredients

Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 pitted green olives, chopped
Pinch cayenne pepper

Pastry:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable shortening, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1½ cups water

Glaze:

1 egg
Pinch of salt

Details

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Ready in: 140 minutes
Makes: 45

Method

To prepare the filling, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chicken breasts, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, black pepper and just enough water to cover all. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is white all the way through. Remove chicken. Carefully pour remaining broth through a strainer into another pan and reserve.

Using a fork and knife or your fingers, shred chicken finely. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, flour, olives, cayenne and 3 to 4 tablespoons of the reserved broth. The filling should be moist, but not runny.

To make pastry, place flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the middle of flour. In a second bowl, combine shortening, butter, salt, eggs and 1 cup of water. Pour this mixture into the hole in flour.

Use your hands to combine the ingredients, squeezing them into a paste. If dough is too stiff or hard, add a little more water. When dough has a smooth, slightly sticky texture, set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Form dough into balls about 1½ inches in diameter. On a lightly floured countertop or other surface, roll the dough out into thin rounds 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling into the centre of each piece of dough. Fold dough over and press edges together firmly. Wet your fingers with some water to tightly seal pastry edges. Place on a greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

To make glaze, beat egg yolk with salt in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to lightly glaze pastéis. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm.

Related food category:

• Festival Dishes