← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp white vinegar (or 1 tbsp cachaça)
• 150 ml warm water, roughly
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 400 g Minced beef
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 40 g green olives, chopped
• 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 l vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, then add the oil, vinegar and most of the water. Bring together, adding the rest of the water if needed, and knead for 5 min into a smooth, firm dough. Wrap and rest for 30 min.
2. For the filling, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 min. Add the garlic and beef and cook for 8–10 min, breaking it up, until browned and dry. Stir in the tomato paste, olives and parsley, season and leave to cool completely.
3. Divide the dough in two and roll each piece out very thinly (about 2 mm) on a floured surface. Cut into 12 rectangles of about 10 × 18 cm.
4. Put a heaped spoonful of filling on one half of each rectangle, leaving a border. Brush the edges with water, fold over and press out the air, then seal tightly with a fork.
5. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 180°C (350°F), filling it no more than a third full. Fry 2–3 pastéis at a time for 2–3 min, turning once, until puffed, blistered and golden.
6. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, with a cold drink and chilli sauce.

Tips

• Short on time? Seal the filling in wonton wrappers or ready-made pastel sheets and fry the same way.
• Cheese pastel is just as popular: fill with grated mozzarella and a little oregano, and the pastry becomes vegetarian.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Olivia’s Cuisine Easy and Delish