I’m going to close Tapas Tuesdays with this combined post because, frankly, I want to move on to other things. So while this post may be a little long, I think you’ll enjoy it as it mixes some great food with a little nostalgia.

These last 2 dishes are celebrated all over Spain (and, in fact, outside of Spain), though they originated in Galicia which is the region my maternal grandparents came from.

An early memory of Empanada Gallega for me  is going to Spanish Picnics. They were a reunion of Spanish families held  in a public park where everyone brought an Empanada Gallega, sardines and chorizos for the grill, potato & egg tortillas, etc. and we spent a great day. Gaitas Gallega (strolling bagpipe players) would entertain. The kids would run around, the older males played soccer or some kind of ball, the ladies and younger children manned the table and food till the evening when there was live music and dancing…and drinking wine from botas. If you’ve never tried drinking wine from a bota, you must. It’s an art if you do it right and a lot of fun if you don’t. A leather bag (the bota) is filled with wine which is held high above your head and squeezed/streamed down into your waiting and open mouth without ever touching your lips.

This is my mom at one of those Spanish picnics showing off her Empanada Gallega that  has “Viva España” baked into the crust. Yeah…we went all out!

My Empanada Gallega Recipe for Tapas Tuesdays…yes, folks, I actually made a real recipe for you.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. salt cod (soaked in cold water overnight, changing the water 2-3 times)
• 1/2-3/4 pound of shrimp
• 1 large onion thinly sliced
• 2 med red and green bell peppers thinly sliced
• olive oil, S+P, paprika, saffron + oregano
• 2 lbs. of dough (I used pizza dough 1 lb. rolled out for the bottom, the other for the top)

Saute the peppers and onions in olive oil with the salt, pepper, and oregano. Don’t brown them; it’s more like a sweating to soften and meld the flavors. Remove from skillet and set aside but keep skillet on stove (without washing) for the cod.

Remove the cod from the water, pat dry and shred by hand. In the same pan, saute the fish with a few pinches of saffron for a few minutes. It doesn’t need much time at all. Toss with the peppers and onions and set aside.

Clean, devein and halve the shrimp lengthwise. Give them a quick saute with a little S+P, paprika and a pinch of saffron (in the same pan so you keep picking up the flavors). Fold them into other ingredients. Now you’re ready for the dough.

Roll 1 lb. out and onto a cookie sheet, then layer the filling. Roll out second piece and fit onto top. Crimp edges, make braids for decoration with trimmed pieces and make a steam hole. Give an ‘egg wash’ (1 egg, 1 tsp water, a pinch of saffron for color blended well and then brushed on). Bake at 350-375 until brown.

Note: My aunt reminded me after I did this that my grandmother used to brush the top with the flavored oil and liquids that remained from cooking the ingredients. Sounds even better!

Caldo Gallego is a boiled dinner/soup served in 2 stages and very similar to other countries, like bolito misto in Italy or even corned beef and cabbage. In Madrid, many places serve the caldo (soup) with noodles and the meats as a second course. We have the caldo with whatever vegetables are broken and left in the pot after the larger ingredients are removed.

My Caldo Gallego Recipe for Tapas Tuesday (updated for our contemporary lives; i.e., I used canned beans, packaged chicken broth and the only 2 meats I had available at the time). Recipe serves 3-4 bowls or 8 cups.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 potato
• 1 carrot
• 1 small head of cabbage quartered
• 1 cup of collard greens chopped
• 1 can white beans (not drained)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 chorizo diced
• 1-1/2 cups chunked ham (leftover from a baked ham)

That’s pretty much it. Since meat is not raw when it goes in, you just cook it till the vegetables become tender. The result had a surprisingly authentic flavor.

And, eat your heart out Ferran Adriá…I bet you don’t have this on the El Bulli menu! It‘s the ultimate tapa…a Caldo Shooter!

I pulsed the leftover soup and ingredients to create this 2-gulp shot. Fun, no?

While Empanada Gallega and Caldo Gallego are traditionally served as meals at home, many Spanish restaurants offer them as tapas or raciones (a larger portion to share).

Well, that’s it, folks. Say adiós to Tapas Tuesdays for now. I hope you enjoyed the series as much as I enjoyed presenting it.

Hasta luego!

Credit: 2 empanada photos by Jim Nicholas.