Impanadas
Submitted by blondeyyb
Impanadas are Italian baked half-moon pies filled with pork braised in red wine and vinegar with fennel and mint, wrapped in a butter semolina crust. Baked until golden.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
30 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsImpanadas are the Italian cousin of empanadas - hand pies with deep Sardinian roots, and a filling that couldn’t be mistaken for anything Latin American.
Pork shoulder braises in a sweet-sour bath of red wine, red wine vinegar, tomato sauce, and sugar with fennel seeds for a full hour until tender and deeply flavored. After cooling, fresh mint, parsley, and grated cheese stir through - that herby, tangy contrast against the rich braised pork is what defines the character.
The dough is half flour, half semolina, enriched with butter and chilled before rolling. Fold into half moons, seal, brush with egg wash, bake until golden. Serve warm with a marinated tomato salad.
Chef Tips
- The filling must be fully cooled before assembling - hot filling makes the dough soft and hard to seal cleanly
- Refrigerate the dough the full hour; semolina dough needs time to relax or it springs back when you try to roll it
- Press the edges firmly with your fingertips; a loose seal means filling escapes in the oven
Ingredients
Directions
In a 12 to 14-inch sauté pan, heat olive oil until smoking.
Add onion, garlic and fennel seeds and sauté until light golden brown.
Add pork, season with salt and cook until lightly browned.
Add vinegar, sugar, tomato sauce and wine and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer 1 hour, until very tender.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a mixing bowl, place cooled pork mixture, mint, 2 eggs, pecorino and parsley and stir to combine.
Set aside.
Mix flour and semolina together in a mixing bowl and make a well.
Add water-butter mixture and stir to form a ball of dough.
Remove dough from bowl and place on work surface.
Knead for 1 minute, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment.
Roll out dough to ¼ inch thick and cut out 6-inch circles.
Place two to three tablespoons of pork mixture in each one and fold to form a half moon.
Seal edges, pressing with fingertips and place on lined baking sheet.
Continue until all the dough is used up.
Beat remaining 2 eggs and brush each impanada with the egg wash.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and remove.
Serve warm with a marinated tomato salad.
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