On my first night in my new apartment, my roommate organized an impromptu potluck, calling out from the balcony to invite friends and neighbors. Of all the dishes that sat before me, the most intriguing had to be the enormous round of baked-brown dough that everyone kept calling an “empanada.” I thought I must’ve been hearing them wrong. How could an empanada be that big? How could an empanada be filled with entire, whole, bone-in anchovies? I took a bite, savored the saltiness of the fish, reveled in the crunch of the crust, and was even more confused. How could an empanada be this good?
As it turns out, here in Galicia, empanadas are not the pint-sized pockets of meat and cheese you may know and love. Galician empanadas are much bigger, as big as a sheet pan in some cases. Their fillings vary, depending on the season and on personal taste. Especially when they’re prepared at home, empanadas can include just about whatever you want them to. In fact, the empanada I had my first night was slightly unorthodox: my roommate’s mom, the chef in question, had added some tomato sauce (also "casera", by the way). Once the filling is prepped and the dough is rolled, the pastry is baked until golden-brown. Upon taking it out of the oven, you might be tempted to dive right in, but, take it from me, that’s only going to get you a burnt tongue.
