Tuna turnovers or empanadas are a bit of an international recipe which revolves around a dough and a tuna filling.
I like this simple version with cream cheese which can also be served as triangles or rolls, using phyllo or ouarka or warqa sheet for a lighter version.
This is not how my mother makes it. She actually uses a regular shortcrust dough or a rough puff pastry..
Since I started making the cream cheese or fromage blanc dough, I decided that this is the right wrapping for these mini-bites which are quite welcome at any time of the day.
Ingredients
Makes about 10 – 12 mini chaussons
Prep: 20 min – Resting time (for the dough): 20 min – Baking : 20 min
The dough which is an equal amount of cream and flour + 1/2 of that amount in butter
- 180g of cream cheese (petits Suisses, kirri, philadephia, or anything similar with 40% fat)
- 180g flour, sifted
- 90g butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp of parsley leaves, finely chopped (Optional)
The filling
- 200 g can tuna meat, drained
- 200 g of cream cheese, ricotta or Jben (Moroccan cheese)
- 3 – 4 tbsps of chopped spring onions
- 2 tbsps of parsley leaves, chopped (or 1 tbsp of chives)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A generous pinch of paprika or chili powder
- 1 tsp of lemon zest (optional)
Eggwash and finishing
- 1 + 1 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp of milk or water
Preparation
- Make the dough (ahead of time)
-
Drain the cheese at least a couple of hours before hand; kirri or philadelphia do not need draining but quark or petit suisse or any thick fromage blanc will still need this step.
-
Mix all the ingredients as if you are making a shortcrust dough: flour, salt and butter are mixed first for the crumbly texture, then fold in the cheese and form a bowl dough. And of course, DO NOT OVERWORK.
- Cover with a cling-film, place in the freezer for 10 min..
- Now that’s where you will make it look like a cousin of puff pastry:
- Roll the dough, form an envelop (puff pastry) or a book buy folding the dough on 3 or 4 on itself. Turn it 1/4 and do the same two more time.
- If you haven’t made puff before roll the dough to a rectangle (2 mm thick), then bring the right side to the centre then the left side, turn a quarter, roll in length and repeat…
- Place in the freezer for 10 -20 min or about 90 min in the fridge
- Preheat the oven at 170 degrees C.
-
Make the filling (can also be done ahead of time).
Mix all ingredients and place ideally in the fridge.
Shaping the tuna chaussons/turnovers
- Roll the cold dough thin between two squares of baking sheets. Cut into circles about 8 to 10 cm diameter/
- Place about a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each circle and dip your finger in egg yolk and smear a bit of the edge with it. Bring the sides together to form a turnover. Pinch to seal.
- Place each tuna turnover on a baking tray cover with a baking sheet.
- Bake for approximately 20 min until the dough is colored golden form top and bottom.
- Serve at room temperature.
