Live Virtual Cooking Class: Galician Empanada Pie with Xoubas (Small Sardines)

The Galician Empanada Pie Recipe is a Classic of the Galician Gastronomy!

A Match Made in Foodie Heaven: Galician Empanada Pie & Albariño Wine of the Rias Baixas

A Galician Empanada Pie can be made with different types of filling inside; meat, seafood, fish, etc... For this live virtual cooking class, we have chosen to make it with gourmet conserved small sardines or pilchard call Xoubas here in the Galician Language. The sardines are from Conservas Lago Paganini, a local cannery operating since 1915 here in Cangas do Morrazo, Galicia. You will be amazed by flavours it gives to the Empanada Pie Recipe! We will pair our Galician Empanada with a prize-winning Albariño white wine of the D.O. Rias Baixas, Torre la Moreira from the winery Bodegas Marques de Vizhoja.

After joining Sean & Angie on our live virtual cooking class experience, you will be able to share with friends and family at lunch or dinner parties this new recipe you have learned with us live online! 

Ingredients for Galician Empanada Pie Recipe:

Dough for Galician Empanada Pie Recipe:

• 550 grams (19.40 ounces) of flour (pastry flour, loose flour, all-purpose wheat flour, Flour without yeast)
  
• 150 grams (5.29 ounces) of sunflower oil
• 150 grams (5.29 ounces) of milk
• 1 egg
• 8 grams (0.28 ounces) of salt

Filling for Galician Empanada Pie Recipe:

• 265 grams (8.8 ounces)  of Onion
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of red pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tomato without the skin (peeled) and seeds
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of homemade tomato sauce
•  125 centilitres (5.28 cups) of Extra Virgen Olive oil (Spanish or even Galician, we are using Acietes Abril)
  
• 1 Bay leave
• 1 Saffron powder packet (You can get Spanish Saffron powder in inpidual packets in a small box, Pote is a good brand)
• 1 teaspoon of Paprika
• Half a glass of Albariño white wine (Or similar dry white wine if you can not get Albariño where you are.)
• Salt
• 2 Cans (81 grams - 2.86 ounces net weight each) of Xoubas (Small/Baby Sardines also called Pilchard) conserved in Olive Oil. If you can not find them Galicia look for the most similar type of small sardine or herring family fish. Better if a gourmet conserved canned fish, or could even use fresh if you like. NOTE: if you do not like sardine you could use canned tuna fish, etc...

Pre-Preparation and Description of Elaboration for Galician Empanada Pie Recipe:

1. For this demo you if you are going to follow along with us you will need to have pre-made the pie dough of flour.  You can either do it homemade or can purchase a pie dough. See above ingredients of the dough if you want to use our recipe...
2. Pour the flour into the bowl, add the salt and the rest of the ingredients (oil, milk, beaten eggs)
3. With one hand hold the bowl and with the other mix with the wooden spoon until it binds. Dump on the counter and form a ball (it is ready quickly), now the dough is fi, leave it in the bowl covered with a cloth for 15 minutes. While you prepare the filling, it is ready to use.
4. We start with the filling: In your pan with heated extra virgin olive oil we add the Chopped garlic, the onion cut in julienne, the red pepper cut into strips, and the bay leaf.
5. Let it simmer for a few seconds and add the paprika. At this point we let it cook for about 15 minutes over low heat.
6. Add the pepper cut into strips and the tomato sauce. Later, we add the saffron.
7. With the integrated saffron, add the Albariño wine and let it reduce to dry, about 15 minutes until sauce/filling is ready. Let it rest and cool.
8. Now we roll/stretch the dough: we use 50% for the bottom part and 50% for the top part.
9. We add the filling over the bottom of the dough evenly with a spoon. Then we place the baby sardines on top of the filling.
10. We cover with the top. We trim the excess edges and close the sides to seal the pie.
11. With the pie sealed, we make several holes in the upper dough so that it cooks better.
12. Then we paint the top with a beaten egg to make better brown and for color.
13. We bake the empanada pie for 40 to 50 minutes at 160º C. - 320º F.
14. Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before consuming it.