Empadinhas

Mini Pies

3 ¾ c flour
1 ½ tsp salt
4 ounces cold butter
3 whole eggs

- Cut the butter into the flour mixed with the salt until the butter is the size of peas. Add one egg at a time until the dough forms a consistency that you can flatten in your flowered hand. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest 2 hours. This dough should not be handled too much.
- Roll into balls and flatten and place in little 1-inch ungreased pie tins. Fill with beef, shrimp, chicken or cheese filling (see below). Make a small ball of dough, flatten and place on top of little pie. Squeeze around the edges to seal. Beat an egg yolk and paint the top of the little pies.
- Bake in a hot oven—400 degrees for 20 minutes and then reduce heat and bake at 350 degrees for 30 more minutes and serve immediately. These pies may be made in any size pans. The small pies are made for appetizers, the larger pies for a main course cut into serving pieces. If it is a large pie, you could call in an empadão. The individual meal size pies are called empada. The baking time will vary according to the pan size.

Fillings:

GROUND BEEF
1 tbs cooking oil
1 chopped onion
1 crushed garlic clove
2 chopped tomatoes
2 lbs ground beef
3 tbs chopped parsley

Heat a frying pan with the cooking oil, onion, garlic and cook until brown. Add the ground beef and cook until done. Add the tomatoes and cook until tender. Add the parsley. Add the white sauce.

WHITE SAUCE
2 tsp butter
2 tsp flour
2 c milk
2 eggs beaten
6 tbs bread crumbs

- Heat the frying pan. Melt butter and add flour and stir until well blended. Add milk until well blended, remove from the heat and let cool. Add the mat mixture and then the well beaten eggs and bread crumbs. Mix very well. Should not be too stiff. Check to see if it needs more salt. Let cool. Mixture should be cold and thick before putting into the little pastry shells.

CHICKEN
1 chicken
1 tbs butter
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 c chicken broth
1/3 c flour
1/3 c green olives
2 eggs boiled
3 tbs chopped parsley
1 small green pepper
1 can palmitos or a can of peas

- Boil the chicken, when tender remove meat from bones and skin. If necessary, continue to boil the broth until it reduces to 2 cups. Heat the frying pan and melt butter, and chopped tomatoes without skin or seeds. Add the chopped onion and stir fry. Add the chicken broth and simmer until tender. Add the flour that has been dissolved in ½ c water—it should be thick. Add the chopped green olives, grated boiled eggs, chopped parsley and the chopped green pepper, chopped palmitos or peas. Add the chicken cut into small pieces. Let cool. Mixture should be cold and thick before putting into the little pastry shells.

CHEESE
4 eggs
2 c milk
8 ounces grated Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper

- Beat the eggs and add to the hot milk. Add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Continue to boil, stirring constantly so it won’t scorch. Do not put a top on this empadinha. Mixture should be cold and thick before putting into the little pastry shell.

SHRIMP FILLING
1lb shrimp
1 tbs cooking oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 tomatoes
1 c milk
1 tbs flour
2 egg yolks
1 can palmitos or can of peas
2 boiled eggs
1/3 c green olives 3 tbs chopped parsley

- Use shrimp that has been cleaned. Heat the frying pan. Add the cooking oil and stir-fry the shrimp, add the finely chopped onion and season with garlic, salt and pepper. Add the chopped tomatoes without seeds or skin. Add a little water and let simmer. Whip the egg yolks, add the milk and flour in a blender. Stir into the shrimp mixture. Continue to stir so it will not scorch. When thick, add the chopped palmitos, grated coiled eggs, chopped green olives and chopped parsley. Let cool. Mixture should be cold and thick before putting into the little pastry shells.