Pastel de Feira

Name: Pastel de Feira
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 500g All-purpose Flour; 1 tsp Salt, fine; 2 tbsp Cachaça, or clear cane spirit; 1 tbsp Neutral Oil, vegetable or sunflower; 220ml Water, warm (approx., enough to form a smooth, firm dough); 400g Ground Beef; 1 tbsp Neutral Oil; 1 small Onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves of Garlic, minced; 1 tbsp Tomato Paste; 2 tbsp Green Olives, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Parsley, or cheiro-verde, chopped; 1 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Pepper (Black); 1.8 l Neutral Oil, for deep-frying; 2 Limes, cut into wedges; Some Hot Sauce, molho de pimenta

Pastel de Feira is a crispy, golden Brazilian pastry filled with a savory, well-spiced ground beef mixture. The dough combines a little cachaça and oil for a flaky, light crust, while the filling sings of caramelized onion, garlic, tangy tomato paste and briny green olives. Fry until blistered and serve hot with a squeeze of lime and a dash of hot sauce for contrast.

Pastel de Feira is a crispy, golden Brazilian pastry filled with a savory, well-spiced ground beef mixture. The dough combines a l... Show more

Traditional Brazilian Recipe

Health Grade

C- · Balanced

Rating

4.3

Time

1 hr20 min

Price

1,15 €

Calories

1017 kcal

high protein

low sugar

kid friendly

comfort food

Method

Make the dough

Mix the 500 g of All-purpose Flour with 1 teaspoon of Fine Salt. Add 2 tablespoons of Cachaça and 1 tablespoon of Neutral Oil, then pour in about 220 ml of Warm Water a little at a time, stirring until a shaggy dough comes together. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth, firm, and elastic; if it sticks to your hands, dust in a little more flour. The dough should be tight enough to roll thin without tearing.

Rest the dough

Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl, and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This relaxes the gluten, so the dough will roll out much more easily and spring back less.

Cook the filling

While the dough rests, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the 400 g of Ground Beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink and starts to brown. Stir in the Onion and Garlic, then add 1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste, 2 tablespoons of Green Olives, Parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often, until the filling is well seasoned and fairly dry, then spread it on a plate so it can cool faster.

Roll and cut

Lightly dust the counter with flour and divide the dough into a few pieces. Roll each piece very thin, almost translucent, then cut hand-sized rectangles or circles for your pastéis. Keep the pieces you are not using covered so they do not dry out.

Fill and seal

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling on one half of each dough piece, leaving a border at the edge. Fold the dough over, press out any trapped air, and seal the edges firmly with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Do not overfill — a modest amount helps the pastry stay closed and fry evenly. As you finish assembling, start heating the 1.8 l of neutral oil in a deep, heavy pot to 180° C so it is ready for frying.

Fry the pastéis

Once the oil is at 180° C, working in batches, fry a few pastéis at a time seam-side down for 2 minutes, flip them, then fry for 2 minutes more, until puffed and deeply golden on both sides. Keep the batches small so the oil stays hot and the crust stays light.

Drain and serve

Lift the pastéis out with a slotted spoon and drain them briefly on paper towels or a rack. Serve them immediately with Lime wedges and Hot Sauce on the side.