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Pastel

The crisp fried turnover of Brazil’s street markets, best eaten piping hot, straight from the pan.

⏱ 60 min🍽 Serves 4

Ingredients

• 🌾Flour500 g
• •Water220 ml
• •Oil2 tbsp
• •Vinegar1 tbsp
• •Salt1 tsp
• 🥩Minced beef300 g
• 🧅Onion1
• 🧄Garlic1
• •Olives
• •Mozzarella
• •Pepper

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the water, the 2 tablespoons of oil and the vinegar, and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic and soften them in a little oil for 3 minutes. Add the minced beef and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it up, until browned. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.
3. Roll the dough out very thin, about 1 mm, and cut it into 8 rectangles of about 12 × 24 cm.
4. Put a spoonful of beef on one half of each rectangle, with a few olives and some diced mozzarella if you like. Fold over the other half, press out the air and seal the edges firmly with a fork.
5. Heat plenty of oil in a deep pan to 180 °C. Fry the pastéis one or two at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them, until golden and covered in bubbles.
6. Drain on kitchen paper and serve at once, while they are crisp.

💡 Tip : Brazilian market stalls add a splash of cachaça to the dough: it makes the crust even more bubbly.

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