Little Pies Empadinhas Recipes

HEARTS OF PALM HAND PIES (EMPADINHAS)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Add the egg and egg yolk and mix with your hands until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough as we do not want to develop gluten. If needed, you can add a little bit of cold water, about a teaspoon at a time.
• Wrap your dough in plastic and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the hearts of palm and olives and mix to combine.
• Stir in the flour, cooking for about a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. Then, add the milk and cream cheese, stirring until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the chopped parsley and reserve until cooled to room temperature so you can assemble the hand pies.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using your hands, cut a small portion of the dough (about 2 tablespoons) and press it into the bottom of an egg tart mold, making sure there is a little extra hanging off the edges.
• Using a spoon, top the bottom crust with as much filling as you can fit. I pile it up high as I like my empadinhas very plump.
• Grab another portion of dough and press it into a disk. Place the disk on top of the assembled pie, pinching to seal edges together. You can then run your fingers across the circumference of the mold to "cut" the excess dough.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, forming about 10 small hand pies. Place them on a baking sheet.
• Brush the pies with egg wash and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

MINI SHRIMP POT PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven 375° F. Grease four mini ramekins. Gather the rest of your ingredients.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, shrimp and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through. Remove shrimp from skillet and place on a plate.
• To the same skillet, add butter. Once melted, add mushrooms and carrots. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Stir in fresh thyme and cook another minute. Add flour and continue cooking a minute longer. Slowly pour in the wine and milk, whisking to ensure that no clumps form in sauce. Bring sauce to a low boil. Reduce heat and stir in peas and cooked shrimp. Simmer sauce for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Unroll the rounds of pie dough and cut each round of dough into four triangles. Use your hands to fit half of the triangles inside the greased ramekins. Cut remaining triangles into 3 to 4 inch circles. Divide pot pie filling evenly among each ramekin. Place top piece of pie dough over the filling and pinch the two pieces of dough together to seal. Use the tines of a fork to create a rustic design going all the way around the pot pies.
• Place the pies on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the pie crust is golden. If the crust starts to get too brown before the pies are done, cover the pies with foil.
• Serve the pies hot with fresh thyme.

EMPADINHAS (BRAZILIAN SHRIMP PIES)

Steps:

• Make the dough.
• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
• Place the butter, shortening, eggs, salt, and 1 cup water in the well.
• Using one hand to mix, squeeze these ingredients through your fingers to make a paste.
• Gradually work in the flour, squeezing the dough between your fingers to mix it.
• Add water as necessary: the dough should be quite soft.
• Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Prepare the filling.
• Peel and devein the shrimp (my favorite yucky part...).
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
• Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown.
• Add the shrimp, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, plus water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked.
• Strain the shrimp, reserving the broth.
• Finely chop the shrimp by hand or in the food processor.
• Stir in the flour, peas, and olives.
• Stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the reserved broth: the filling should be moist but not runny.
• Add enough cayenne to give the shrimp mixture a little bite.
• Pinch off cherry-sized pieces of dough and use them to line the tartlet molds.
• Push the dough in with your thumb.
• The dough should just reach over the top of the mold.
• Place a spoonful of filling in each crust.
• Roll out the remaining dough and cut out tops for the empadinhas.
• Try to capture an air bubble when you place the top over the filling: this is what makes the pie light.
• Seal the tartlets by pinching together the top and bottom crust.
• Note: the empadinhas can be prepared ahead to this stage and frozen.
• Preheat the oven to 375° F.
• Brush the tops of the empadinhas with egg glaze.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Unmold and serve.
• If you're lazy like me, try this big pie version, called empadão: make the filling and use Pillsbury pie crusts, one for the bottom and one for the top.
• Fantastic dinner stuff!
• To make chicken empadinhas-------------.
• Cook the chicken and prepare the broth.
• Place the chicken in a small saucepan with the garlic, onion, bay leaf and water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
• Drain the chicken, reserving the broth.
• When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and finely shred the meat.
• Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
• Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown.
• Add the chicken, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, plus water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Procede as in step 3 above, stirring in the flour, peas, and olives.
• And so on.