Alan Davidson

Empanada de Pulpo

Galician octopus pie

Preparation info
  • Serves

    Four

    • Difficulty

      Complex

Appears in
top 1000North Atlantic Seafood
North Atlantic Seafood

By Alan Davidson

Published 1980

  • About

This version of a famous Galician dish, the like of which I have not met elsewhere in the world, is that given to me by Señora Pilar Bustamante, whose home in Galicia is at La Coruña. Before I give her instructions, let me make clear that the resulting ‘pie’ is as wide and flat and thin as a pizza.

Ingredients

Preparing the pastry

  • eggs, 2
  • salt, ½ tsp
  • milk, 100

Method

Mix together in a large bowl the eggs, salt, milk, olive oil and melted pork fat or lard. Then add the flour, little by little, so as to form a soft dough (masa blanda). You will know when it is right because the dough will no longer stick to your fingers, although it will still be quite moist. Knead the dough very little. Let it rest, rolled out, while you cook the octopus and prepare the rest