Tuna Pie (Empanada Gallega)

Here’s the second pie recipe I promised to post. Tuna Pie or Empanada Gallega is a savory pie that is very popular in Galicia – a region in the northwestern part of Spain. It’s filled with tuna, onions, peppers and tomatoes. You can also replace the tuna with sardines, cod fish or chorizo. It’s a very tasty and hearty meal and very easy to pack for work or school.

Time: 55 min, Prep: 20 min. Cook: 35 min
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

1 onion
1 red bell pepper
3 tomatoes
2Tbsp soy sauce
180 g oil-packed canned tuna
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 beaten egg, to glaze
500 g pastry – you can also make the pie pastry at home by following the step-by-step recipe I posted under How to Make Pie Crust

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Finely chop onions and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add onions and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

Peel and chop tomatoes. Add soy sauce, tomatoes and tuna to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and simmer everything for 10 minutes.

Line the bottom and sides of a 23-cm or 9-inch pie dish using half of the pastry. Brush with the beaten egg. Spread tuna mixture over the pastry.

Roll out the remaining pastry so that it’s 1.5 times the size of your pie dish. Lay the pastry over the tuna filling, pressing down firmly to seal. Trim the edges and make cuts in the top of the pie so that steam can escape.

I have also made a rope edge from the leftover pastry. Just twist two long sausages of pastry together and attach to the edge with beaten egg. Press gently into place and brush the top with beaten egg.