Empanadas and stuffed piquillos: José Pizarro’s recipes for inexperienced peppers | Meals

Peppers are extra than simply staples of the Spanish kitchen, they’re considered one of our culinary foundations. As with tomatoes, when Columbus returned from the Americas within the late fifteenth century, he offered peppers as a present to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, they usually in a short time grew to become a key a part of our cooking traditions. The pepper’s most iconic contribution to Spanish delicacies is definitely pimentón de la Vera, or smoked paprika, which is a necessary seasoning in quite a lot of Spanish cooking, including beautiful depth to stews, rice dishes, seafood and, after all, chorizo. However we additionally have a good time recent peppers in all their guises. Padrón peppers are, after all, a basic tapa, whereas pimientos rellenos (stuffed peppers) are crammed each which means, from seafood and minced meat to creamy bechamel. From the royal court docket to dwelling kitchens, peppers have taken root in our culinary tradition.

Pimentos rellenos (inexperienced peppers filled with slow-cooked ragu – pictured prime)

Stuffed piquillo peppers have lengthy been fashionable in eating places and houses throughout Spain, and are sometimes full of oxtail or bacalao. This dish offers an identical comforting expertise, sustaining the essence of the normal basic whereas on the identical time being a bit extra accessible, making it good for dwelling cooking. Serve with a stunning glass of bobal, a wine from a grape selection widespread in Valencia and Utiel-Requena. Its richness will complement the daring flavours of the stuffed peppers. You may make the ragu prematurely and freeze it, then defrost and choose issues up once more from the final paragraph.

Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 2 hr 40 min+
Makes 8

3 tbsp olive oil, plus further for drizzling
1 giant onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
200g cooking chorizo, skinned and finely chopped
500g pork mince
1 star anise
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
200ml white wine
400g tin tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
350ml rooster inventory
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
8 giant inexperienced bell peppers

Warmth the oil in a big saute pan, then gently fry the onion and celery for 10 minutes, till actually comfortable. Add the garlic and chorizo and prepare dinner for an additional 5 minutes, till the chorizo releases all its oils.

Add the pork mince, flip up the warmth and brown throughout, breaking apart the mince with a spoon so it doesn’t clump. Stir within the star anise, lemon zest and white wine, go away to bubble for a couple of minutes, then tip within the tomatoes, tomato puree and inventory. Season properly, carry to a boil, then flip down the warmth to a simmer and go away to prepare dinner, stirring often, for 2 to 3 hours; add a splash extra inventory or water if the ragu threatens to cut back too far and dry out.

Half an hour earlier than you wish to serve, warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. Reduce the tops off the peppers and thoroughly take away and discard the pith and seeds with a spoon. Organize the peppers in a roasting tin through which they’ll match fairly snugly, drizzle with olive oil and season properly, then roast for 15–20 minutes, till comfortable however nonetheless holding their form. Fill the roast peppers with the ragu, then roast for one more quarter-hour. Serve scorching.

Inexperienced pepper and sardine empanadas

Empanadas ought to be far more fashionable than they’re, which makes me marvel if folks have a tendency to think about them as pasties, that are bigger, made with shortcrust pastry that’s usually excessive in saturated fat, full of starchy greens, and sometimes mass-produced containing components and excessive in salt. Empanadas, nevertheless, are a flexible and more healthy choice. They’re made with a lighter, thinner dough, have much less fats, are most of the time baked, and have a crisper texture. They’re sometimes smaller than pasties, and use a wide range of lighter, tasty fillings together with vegetarian, vegan and a few internationally impressed options. These ones are made with tinned sardine fillets, however recent and even mussels would work properly, too. Serve with a glass of chilled albariño or a crisp, chilly beer.

Prep 15 min
Chill 30 min+
Cook dinner 1 hr 30
Makes 6

2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely sliced
4 inexperienced peppers (lengthy ones, if you will discover them), stalks, seeds and pith discarded, flesh sliced
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs recent thyme, leaves stripped
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp Pedro Ximénez sherry vinegar
12 tinned sardine fillets, drained

For the pastry
250g plain flour, plus further for dusting
½ tsp advantageous salt
100g chilly unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg, overwhelmed
1 tsp white-wine vinegar

Warmth the oil in a big pan, then fry the shallots for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, chilli flakes, bay leaf and thyme, season and prepare dinner, stirring often, for half-hour, till beautiful and comfortable. Add the PX vinegar, prepare dinner for a couple of extra minutes, then take off the warmth and go away to chill.

To make the pastry, tip the flour and salt right into a bowl, then rub within the chilly diced butter together with your fingertips till the combo resembles breadcrumbs. Combine half the overwhelmed egg with two tablespoons of chilly water and the vinegar, add to the flour bowl and blend in shortly. Convey the dough collectively together with your fingers, then knead very briefly on a floured floor till easy. Form right into a disc, wrap and chill for no less than half-hour.

Warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Divide the chilled dough into six equal-sized items and roll every one right into a ball. Roll out every ball into a big disc, then use a pastry cutter or small plate to chop out a 16cm circle; discard any trimmings, or save for one more use.

Divide the pepper combination evenly between the pastry circles, leaving a border throughout the sting, then prime every one with two sardine fillets. Brush the sides with overwhelmed egg, fold the pastry excessive of the filling and pinch and crimp the sides collectively.

Switch to the lined baking sheet and brush throughout with the remaining overwhelmed egg. Bake for 20–25 minutes, till golden brown, then serve heat or at room temperature.

• These recipes are edited extracts from The Spanish Pantry: 12 Components, 100 Easy Recipes, by José Pizarro, revealed this week by Quadrille at £28. To order a duplicate for £25.20, go the guardianbookshop.com