Pastel de queijo
- Snack
- Medium
- Makes 40
- 40 minutes
PT40M
A popular Brazilian street food snack, pastels are delicious little deep-fried pastry parcels. Marcello Tully's pastel recipe features a gooey double cheese filling of cheddar and mozzarella, spiked with a little heat from red chilli. This batch will make a large amount, possibly 30–50 small pastries (depending on size), so perfect party food for entertaining.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 455g of plain flour
- 60g of butter
- 40g of baking powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 250ml of milk
- 50ml of Cachaça
- 20ml of water
- 8g of salt
Cheese filling
- 250g of cheddar , cubed
- 250g of mozzarella cheese , torn into pieces
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 red chilli , deseeded and finely chopped
To assemble and fry
- 2 egg yolks , beaten
- plain flour, for dusting
- vegetable oil, or sunflower oil
- red chillies , chopped, to garnish
- fresh coriander , chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- Food mixer fitted with a dough hook
- Food processor
- Deep-fryer
Method
2
In a small pan set over a low heat, gently warm through the milk, water, Cachaça and salt. Pour over the flour mixture in the bowl, then knead for 12–15 minutes (alternatively mix together in a large bowl and knead well by hand)
- 250ml of milk
- 50ml of Cachaça
- 20ml of water
- 8g of salt
3
Cover the dough and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour
4
While resting, prepare the filling. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse together until it resembles breadcrumbs
- 250g of cheddar , cubed
- 250g of mozzarella cheese , torn into pieces
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 red chilli , deseeded and finely chopped
5
Tip into a clean bowl and measure out a 10g portion. Press the crumbs together by hand, rolling to form a small ball. Transfer to a tray, repeating the process with the remaining mixture until all used up
6
Cover the tray with cling film and set aside until ready to assemble
7
Once the dough has rested, divide into 4 portions to make it easier to work with. Liberally dust a clean work surface with plain flour and take 1 portion of dough (keeping the remaining covered to stop it drying out)
- plain flour, for dusting
8
Roll out the piece of dough as thinly as possible, about 2–3mm thick. Position the cheese balls over the dough, spacing out to leave border space around each ball
9
Brush the beaten egg yolks over the pastry between all the balls. Roll out a second piece of dough to the same thickness as the first, then place over the cheese balls to cover completely
- 2 egg yolks , beaten
10
Press down gently around each ball to stick the pastry together and seal. Use a small, round pastry cutter to cut around each ball, creating individual parcels. Press the pastry edges together firmly to ensure that no filling escapes while frying
11
Repeat with the remaining pastry and cheese balls until everything is used up
12
Preheat a deep-fryer to 150–160°C, or half fill a deep pan with oil and heat up to the correct temperature
- vegetable oil, or sunflower oil
13
Working in batches, deep-fry the parcels for 2–3 minutes, moving around in the oil so they colour evenly all over. Once golden, remove with a slotted spoon and drain any excess oil on kitchen paper
14
Serve warm, scattered with a little fresh chilli and coriander to garnish
- red chillies , chopped, to garnish
- fresh coriander , chopped, to garnish
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Pastel de queijo
