Pastel de Carne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Rolling pin or pasta roller
• •Wide skillet for the filling
• •Heavy 4-liter pot for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire rack or paper towels
• •Fork for sealing

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and stir with your hand. Add the oil, cachaça or vinegar, and 3/4 cup warm water. Mix until the flour gathers into a rough dough. If dry flour stays at the bottom, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should feel firm but pliable, not sticky. Too much water makes it hard to roll thin later, and thin is what gives pastel its feira puff.

   Cachaça or vinegar helps the dough fry crisp and blistered. You won't taste it. It's there to help the pastry behave in hot oil, not to make the cook nervous.
2. 2

   Knead and rest

   Knead the dough on the counter for 6 to 8 minutes, until it goes from shaggy to smooth and tight. Wrap it and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Rest matters because the dough relaxes, and relaxed dough rolls thin instead of snapping back like it has opinions.

3. 3

   Build the refogado

   Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and see-through, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, just until you smell it. This is the refogado, the honest base. Burn the garlic and the bitterness follows you into every bite, so keep your eyes on the pan.

4. 4

   Brown the beef

   Raise the heat to medium-high, add the beef, salt, and pepper, and spread the meat out in the pan. Let it sit for a minute before breaking it up, then cook until it loses the raw red color and starts to brown in little bits. If the pan is crowded or too cool, the beef releases water and stews grey instead of dourar. Grey meat is not a tragedy, but we're here to build flavor, not apologize to dinner.

5. 5

   Dry the filling

   Stir in the tomato and olives, if using, and cook until the tomato softens and the pan looks almost dry, about 5 minutes. Drag a spoon through the filling. If liquid runs back into the path, keep cooking. Wet filling leaks, and leaking pastel spits in the oil like it's paying rent in your kitchen.

6. 6

   Finish and cool

   Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley or scallions. Taste and adjust the salt. Spread the filling on a plate and let it cool until it's no longer hot to the touch. Hot filling softens the dough and weakens the seal, and then the oil gets invited inside. We are not hosting that party.

7. 7

   Roll it thin

   Divide the dough in half and keep one half covered. On a lightly floured counter, roll the other half into a thin sheet, about 2 mm thick. You should be able to lift it easily and almost see the shadow of your hand through it. Thick dough fries heavy and chewy. Thin dough blisters, puffs, and lets the filling stay the point.

8. 8

   Fill and seal

   Cut the dough into rectangles about 10 by 15 cm. Put 2 tablespoons cooled filling on one side of each rectangle, leaving a clear border. Fold the dough over, press out trapped air with your fingers, then seal the edges firmly with a fork or the side of your hand. Air pockets burst in hot oil, and loose edges open like gossip.

9. 9

   Heat the oil

   Pour the frying oil into a heavy pot so it's at least 5 cm deep and heat it to 180°C (350°F). No thermometer? Drop in a tiny scrap of dough. It should sizzle right away and rise with small lively bubbles, not sink sadly and not darken in seconds. Oil that's too cool makes greasy pastel. Oil that's too hot browns the outside before the dough crisps through.

10. 10

    Fry in batches

    Slide in 2 pastéis at a time and fry, turning once, until puffed, blistered, and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pot. Too many at once drop the oil temperature, and then the dough drinks oil instead of crisping. Move them to a rack or paper towels and salt lightly while hot.

11. 11

    Serve now

    Serve the pastéis right away, while the shell is crisp and the beef filling is juicy without being wet. Add hot sauce if that's your house. Pastel waits badly, like most fried things, so call people before you fry the last batch, not after.

Chef Tips

• •The honest Tuesday shortcut is store-bought pastel dough from the refrigerated case. It saves rolling time and can be very good. The cost is that you don't control thickness or texture, so choose the thinnest sheets you can find and keep the filling dry.
• •Don't use a seasoning packet. Onion, garlic, salt, pepper, tomato, and olives already know what they're doing. Powder only makes everything taste like the same factory shelf.
• •Keep the filling drier than you think. Pastel filling can be juicy in your mouth, but it cannot be loose in the spoon. Loose filling leaks, and then the frying gets dramatic in the wrong way.
• •If you're frying for game day, assemble the pastéis up to 2 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge with parchment between layers. Fry at the last minute. Crispness is not something you can reheat into existence.
• •Use a heavy pot and give the oil room. Fill it no more than halfway. Hot oil rises when food goes in, and a calm cook is better than a heroic one.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling so it softens enough to cooperate.
• •The beef filling can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it close to room temperature before filling so cold clumps don't tear the dough.
• •Assembled uncooked pastéis can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours, covered, with parchment between layers. Fry straight from the fridge.
• •Fried pastel is best right away. If you must rewarm it, use a 200°C (400°F) oven for 6 to 8 minutes, knowing it won't be quite the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)