Valencian Turnovers {Empanadillas Valencianas}

PASTRY:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp anise liqueur (or a pinch of anise seed)

HAM FILLING:
3 small onions; chopped
2 small tomatoes; peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove; minced
2 slices cured ham (thick slices); diced
2 hard-boiled eggs
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper; to taste

TUNA FILLING
2 medium onions; chopped
2 medium tomatoes; peeled and chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
7 oz tuna (1 can)
salt; to taste

BAKING:
1 egg; beaten

For Pastry:
Put flour on a table or marble slab. Make a hole in the center for the remaining ingredients. Mix dough thoroughly with fingers,
roll into a ball, and allow to rest while you prepare the filling.

For Ham Filling:
Heat olive oil in a skillet and slowly fry the onions. When they are soft and golden, add tomatoes and garlic. When the liquid has evaporated, add diced ham, stir and fry 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from fire, add mashed hard-boiled eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

For Tuna Filling:
Heat olive oil to the verge of smoking. Fry chopped onions slowly. When they are golden, add tomatoes. Let liquid from
tomatoes evaporate before adding mashed hard-boiled eggs and tuna broken into bits. Mix well, fry briefly; add salt if necessary.

For Baking:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough fairly thin(1/4-inch or less) and cut out ten circles about 6-inches in diameter. Fill half of each circle. Leave a small margin along the circumference. Fold the other half over the filling, pinch edges to close in a fluted pattern, brush with beaten egg, prick top with fork, and bake on greased sheet for 25 minutes or until browned and crisp.

Comments: These pastries can be stuffed with any of a variety of fillings. Recipes for ham and tuna fillings are given above.

10 Servings: 10
Source: Spanish Cookbook by Barbara Norman Published by Bantam Books, Inc. (c) 1969