Empanadillas

(from "Tapas: Seasonal Small Plates from Spain", by Joyce Goldstein)

This cookbook (an engagement gift from our friends Shauna and Maher) is one of my favorites. We had friends over for lawn games and grilling, and these are neither of those, but they were yummy. I'd make a few changes the next time - for example, I had some trouble with the dough - I used the water they recommended and it was much too dry, so I added some beer to moisten it up. I'll just include what the cookbook says in case I did it wrong - if it gets too dry, just add some more liquid till it feels right. I'd also cut the rounds bigger so I could fit more of the delicious filling in each one. (The filling, of which there was about a ton left over, is good on a french bread sandwich the next day.) Finally, I replaced the ham the recipe called for with pancetta - good choice - and added just a dash of paprika to the filling, near the end with the pepper.

And here we go:

DOUGH
2 cups flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup whole milk, water, or beer
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
(plus one egg, lightly beaten and set aside)

FILLING
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (that was messy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 4 oz diced pancetta
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper and paprika

To make the dough, put the flour in a bowl and make a well in its center, adding the oil, shortening, water (or milk or beer), baking soda, and salt to the well. Use a wooden spoon to gradually work the wet ingredients into the flour, mixing until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a bit till it comes together, then shape it into a ball, cover it, and let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temp.

While the dough is resting, you can make the filling. Heat the oil over medium in a saute pan, then add the onions and cook until they soften and turn a pale gold (stir occasionally). Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes juices have evaporated (5-8 minutes). Add the pancetta and cook until its cooked through. Remove from heat and add the eggs. Season to taste with pepper and a pinch of paprika. Let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 and come back to the dough. Roll out the dough until its about 1/8 of an inch thick or less, then use a glass (wide as you can - recipe says 3 inches, but I'd say larger) to cut out rounds. Once you have all of your rounds, spoon the filling into each one, using the egg to dampen the edges of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling in a half-moon shape, using the tines of a fork to press the edges together.

Put the pastries on a baking sheet and brush with egg, then bake until golden, about 20 minutes.