Brazilian Pastel

Fried pastries, much like empanadas, with savory filling

In Brazil, pasteis are served as street food or as appetizers in some restaurants. The crust is light and full of crispy bubbles, but not saturated with oil. The fillings are savory and often include Brazilian cream cheese. We had pasteis countless times while we were in Brazil, but most memorably in the seaside village of Caraiva.

On the morning that we were to leave our home in Arraial d’Ajuda for a three day vacation in the remote village of Caraiva, the power went out all over town. This wasn’t unusual, and temporary power outages had never troubled us in the past, but this was our last chance to get some cash before our trip. The screen on the ATM was dead. The banks were closed. Our bus, the only bus, was about to leave. And we had heard that there were no ATMs in Caraiva. We froze for a moment in indecision, but then chose to head out anyway with maybe enough cash to cover lodging. We were hoping, despite the guidebooks’ warnings, that some restaurant or food market in Caraiva might take a credit card. Nevertheless, we boarded the bus fully resigned to the fact that we might have to do the freegan thing for a few days—harvesting wild mangoes and guava—not exactly the end of the world.

Caraiva ended up being one of our favorite spots in Brazil. And as luck would have it, exactly one of the restaurants in town did take credit cards. For four days, we ate at the one card-accepting restaurant and nowhere else. The good news is that they specialized in pasteis and made a different flavor each day. We split at least one order at every meal. You’d think we would have grown sick of them, but on the contrary, they got better every time. And my memory continues to improve them. I can just picture us there on the deck, under the canopy of the immense Pau-Brasil tree, a cold caipirinha in-hand, overlooking the point in Caraiva where the river meets the sea. I am breaking into a steaming hot pastel full of gooey cheese… I think I need to make another batch right now.

Ingredients:

·        Pastel dough: *

­   2 c. White flour

­   1 t Salt

­   2 T Vegetable oil

­   1 T Cachaça (Brazilian liquor—or substitute vodka)

­   1 T White vinegar

­   About ½ c. warm water

·        Filling
Use one of the options suggested below or whatever your imagination might conjure up. You should have about 2 ½ cups total filling to make 20 pasteis.

­   Meat: Cooked minced beef, diced onions and chopped olives

­   Pizza: Fresh diced tomatoes, cubed mozzarella cheese and fresh chopped oregano

­   Seafood and Cheese: Catupiry (Brazilian cheese)** and mini-shrimp, minced shark, ray, or skate (pre-cooked)

­   Cheese: Catupiry (Brazilian cheese)

·        Oil for frying, about 4 cups in a medium saucepan

Directions:

Begin at Step 4 if you are using pre-made dough

1.      Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the oil, cachaça, vinegar, and then the water (little by little) until the dough is uniform and will just begin to come together and form a ball.

2.      Work the dough on a floured surface as you would with fresh pasta or bread, kneading it for 2‑‑3 minutes. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at least 30 minutes or put it into the refrigerator for use on the following day.

3.      Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. It should be fairly thin, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut to the size and shape desired—usually either square and about 4 inches per side, or round and about 4 inches in diameter. (You can use a large empty aluminum can as a cutter.)

4.      Put the filling in the center. Fold the dough over and press the edges together with your fingers or with the tines of a fork so the pastel won’t open when frying. (Make sure the contact edges of the dough remain dry and free of filling or they will not seal well.) You will either make a rectangular or half-moon pastel.

5.      Deep-fry the pastel in hot oil (375°F). The pasteis will initially sink and then float to the surface. Turn them over immediately. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. Remove when they are golden brown or if they begin to leak (in which case be careful: the oil will splatter).

6.      Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can serve them with a chili sauce, hot mustard, etc. if desired. I like mine plain.

*In the US, there are many Latin American grocery stores that carry premade empanada pastry in the freezer section. These are really convenient and can be very good, especially those that are made for frying (“para friar”).

** I cannot get Catupiry, a popular brand of creamy Brazilian cheese, where I live. Instead, I create my own blend, which is a tasty alternative, by mixing 1 part brie (rind removed) and 1 part Neufchatel or cream cheese.