The Adjusted Normal, 7. Fast Food à la Slow.
We have our bread delivered daily by a local bakery. Every morning, around eight thirty, they drive up, the passenger comes out, hangs the bag with a loaf on our door, and continues. Every day, except Sunday. That day, we're on our own.
So, either my husband or I drive to a bakery roundabouts. Today, I drove into Rianxo and went to one that has very good bread. The smell of fresh bread reached down the street and pleasingly lodged itself in my nose. So did the smell of fried onion that was being prepared for their empanadas. There was a line in the street, and as I was standing there, cars drove up and parked where they could, and people left them to join the line. It's a popular bakery.
When it was my turn, I went in to the little cubicle (even without Covid-19, it can't take much more than three people), and put in my order for a loaf, and, while I was at it, asked about their empanadas. I was told they had only corn ones today, unless I wanted to order one and come back later. The available ones were of xoubas or berberechos. I took one with xoubas, since they're in season now.
Xoubas are small sardines, and berberechos are cockles. Both make wonderful fillings for empanadas. An empanada is like a meat pie, and can be made with either white flour, or corn flour. The Italians have their version with calzone. The South American empanadas are slightly different, smaller, yet follow the same line. The filling can be almost anything. There are empanadas of chicken, pork, sausage, xoubas, berberechos, cod, cod with raisins, tuna fish, octopus, calamari, bay scallops, eel, and whatever else that can be cooked with the onion and just layered in the middle of the dough. The obligatory ingredients are onions, sweet paprika, and the dough, with sweet red or green peppers optional.
They are considered one of our region's fast foods. Though, fast only in the sense of how fast they can disappear, since they are relatively easy to eat; just cut a slice and eat it like a sandwich, being careful to have wipes nearby to clean your hands. It is difficult and laborious to actually make them, which is why so many people pop into a bakery and order one, or buy whichever they have on the shelf. First, you have to make the dough. It's easier when you use white flour, because the corn flour ones have to have some type of starter dough (which is a mix of corn flour and other flours). It has to rise, you have to stretch it out in two parts. You have to fry the onion together with the other ingredients over a slow fire so the onion doesn't burn. Then, spread the filling on the bottom part of the dough, and stretch and put the other part of the dough on top. Then, stick it in the oven for the dough to cook, with the filling's juices bubbling up through the hole cut on top, and the house filling with the aroma that makes your mouth water and your stomach rumble. Yet, empanadas are the fast food kings of picnic lunches.
When I was growing up, it was one of the Sunday foods my mother would cook, especially to take to the beach in summer. She usually made it with cod, though sometimes, she made it with deboned chicken, which was very good, too. As a child, I hated onions, so, I would open my slice, sweep off all the onions, take the bones out of the cod, eat it, and then eat the slices of dough. Now, I just bite into it and let everything sort itself out in my mouth. Except the fish bones. When I buy one with a cod filling, I try to buy migas, which is cod that has been deboned. The tiny fish bones in the sardines, or xoubas, don't bother me.
I wish I could make one, but I haven't the skill to do it. I've tried, and had limited success with the white flour dough, but the corn flour is extremely difficult for me. Now, I don't have the oven, either, if I wanted to try my hand at it again. Our oven said good-bye, and I don't know when I can replace it. But I enjoy the pleasure of choosing the bakery and the empanada. Each bakery has its specialty, and some are famous for certain empanadas. The one I visited today has a very good cornflour one with berberechos, which they put in with the shells, so they open while in the oven, and all the juice mixes with the rest. Another bakery does a very good migas de bacalao, deboned cod. It's a question of going around and trying them out.
If my husband and I go for a day trip around Galicia, it's one very good substitute to sitting in a restaurant. Especially in these plague times. Just buy an empanada, or a half, park in a lonely, scenic place, and enjoy our picnic. Face masks not necessary.
Life continues.
So, either my husband or I drive to a bakery roundabouts. Today, I drove into Rianxo and went to one that has very good bread. The smell of fresh bread reached down the street and pleasingly lodged itself in my nose. So did the smell of fried onion that was being prepared for their empanadas. There was a line in the street, and as I was standing there, cars drove up and parked where they could, and people left them to join the line. It's a popular bakery.
When it was my turn, I went in to the little cubicle (even without Covid-19, it can't take much more than three people), and put in my order for a loaf, and, while I was at it, asked about their empanadas. I was told they had only corn ones today, unless I wanted to order one and come back later. The available ones were of xoubas or berberechos. I took one with xoubas, since they're in season now.
Xoubas are small sardines, and berberechos are cockles. Both make wonderful fillings for empanadas. An empanada is like a meat pie, and can be made with either white flour, or corn flour. The Italians have their version with calzone. The South American empanadas are slightly different, smaller, yet follow the same line. The filling can be almost anything. There are empanadas of chicken, pork, sausage, xoubas, berberechos, cod, cod with raisins, tuna fish, octopus, calamari, bay scallops, eel, and whatever else that can be cooked with the onion and just layered in the middle of the dough. The obligatory ingredients are onions, sweet paprika, and the dough, with sweet red or green peppers optional.
They are considered one of our region's fast foods. Though, fast only in the sense of how fast they can disappear, since they are relatively easy to eat; just cut a slice and eat it like a sandwich, being careful to have wipes nearby to clean your hands. It is difficult and laborious to actually make them, which is why so many people pop into a bakery and order one, or buy whichever they have on the shelf. First, you have to make the dough. It's easier when you use white flour, because the corn flour ones have to have some type of starter dough (which is a mix of corn flour and other flours). It has to rise, you have to stretch it out in two parts. You have to fry the onion together with the other ingredients over a slow fire so the onion doesn't burn. Then, spread the filling on the bottom part of the dough, and stretch and put the other part of the dough on top. Then, stick it in the oven for the dough to cook, with the filling's juices bubbling up through the hole cut on top, and the house filling with the aroma that makes your mouth water and your stomach rumble. Yet, empanadas are the fast food kings of picnic lunches.
When I was growing up, it was one of the Sunday foods my mother would cook, especially to take to the beach in summer. She usually made it with cod, though sometimes, she made it with deboned chicken, which was very good, too. As a child, I hated onions, so, I would open my slice, sweep off all the onions, take the bones out of the cod, eat it, and then eat the slices of dough. Now, I just bite into it and let everything sort itself out in my mouth. Except the fish bones. When I buy one with a cod filling, I try to buy migas, which is cod that has been deboned. The tiny fish bones in the sardines, or xoubas, don't bother me.
I wish I could make one, but I haven't the skill to do it. I've tried, and had limited success with the white flour dough, but the corn flour is extremely difficult for me. Now, I don't have the oven, either, if I wanted to try my hand at it again. Our oven said good-bye, and I don't know when I can replace it. But I enjoy the pleasure of choosing the bakery and the empanada. Each bakery has its specialty, and some are famous for certain empanadas. The one I visited today has a very good cornflour one with berberechos, which they put in with the shells, so they open while in the oven, and all the juice mixes with the rest. Another bakery does a very good migas de bacalao, deboned cod. It's a question of going around and trying them out.
If my husband and I go for a day trip around Galicia, it's one very good substitute to sitting in a restaurant. Especially in these plague times. Just buy an empanada, or a half, park in a lonely, scenic place, and enjoy our picnic. Face masks not necessary.
Life continues.
Food is so important in our memories and even better when it is in our mouths.
ReplyDeleteEver so true!
DeletePois eu iría pola empanada de croques !
ReplyDeleteÉ que estamos en San Xoan e a xouba molla ben, pero a de croques tamén me encanta, especialmente coa cuncha!
Delete