Pequenes or onion empanadas - Pilar Hernández's Chilean Cuisine
A classic Chilean recipe: pequenes, fondly remembered by older generations. I honestly don't recall ever eating them, but recently, while in Chile, I took taxis a lot and we always ended up talking about food. On three occasions, churrascas and pequenes were mentioned as typical Chilean home cooking.
Ingredients · Servings 12
- 1 1/4 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 30 grams of butter
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1 beaten egg
- 2-3 thinly sliced onions
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of paprika or merkén
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- oil
Method · PT-497396H57M45S
- For the filling, wash, peel and finely chop the onion.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat, add the chopped onion, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes until cooked and just browned, stirring occasionally.
- Season with paprika, cumin, oregano, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- For the dough, mix the water, milk, and lemon juice in a cup.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt, stirring with a fork. Add the butter, cut into cubes, and work it in with your hands or a fork until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually add the milk mixed with water, kneading continuously.
- Form a smooth, elastic dough, kneading for 5 minutes in a machine or 10 minutes by hand, until the dough is smooth and pliable. Cut into 6 portions. Let rest covered with a damp cloth for half an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F.
- Beat the egg with a splash of water using a fork for 20 seconds, until well mixed.
- Flour the work surface and roll out the dough thinly to 3-4 mm. Cut out 2 rounds.
- Fill with 1 tablespoon of onion. Moisten the edge with the beaten egg. Close and crimp with a fork or crimp. Brush with the beaten egg and prick with a fork to allow steam to escape and prevent bursting.
- Place in a can covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove to a wire rack, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve.
There's no reason to eat Chilean food only in September, let's keep our traditions going all year round.
Blanca says that she worked in a Pequenes factory in Rancagua and the filling was made with cow's foot broth, so when the empanadas were served hot the filling was always juicy and tasty.
Description
A traditional and economical recipe.
