Empanadilhas

Description: The pastry dough is made with wheat flour, egg, butter, lard, lemon, 1 tablespoon of brandy, salt and oil for frying. The filling is made with boiled sweet potatoes, sugar, grated almonds, and grated orange peel. The pastel is about 10 cm in diameter.

Region: Algarve.

Other denominations: Sweet Potato Pastries.

Special feature: Crescent-shaped pastries, golden and crispy, with dark filling.

History: It is thought that most of the Algarve's sweets had their origin in the Arabs who inhabited the region. The sweets are rich and varied: it ranges from egg sweets to sweets made with figs. But it is important not to forget the most homemade, least expensive and easiest cakes to make: folares, empanadilhas, etc.

Use: They are mainly consumed at Christmas time, although they are sold throughout the year.

Know-how: The dough is prepared with flour, lard, butter, egg, lemon zest, brandy and salt, in order to obtain a very soft dough, which is allowed to rest and is very thin. The filling is made with powdered sugar, to which is added grated almonds, boiled and dried sweet potatoes and orange zest. Cut slices of dough on which a little of the sweet potato jam is poured, turning part of the dough in order to cover the filling and then cutting it with a very sharp knife, in the shape of a half-moon. The formed half-moons are fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001