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1
Make and rest the dough
10 minutes + 30 minutes resting
Room temperature 20°C (68°F)
Mix the flour (300 g) and salt (5 g) in a bowl. Add the warm water (130 ml), vegetable oil (15 ml) and cachaça (15 ml) and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and firm. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Knead until truly smooth — an under-kneaded dough tears when you roll it thin.
Done when: Smooth, firm dough that springs back slowly when pressed.
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2
Cook the beef filling
10 minutes + cooling
High heat; ground beef cooked through to 71°C (160°F)
Cook the ground beef (300 g) in a dry pan over high heat, breaking it up, for 5 minutes until browned. Add the onion (100 g) and garlic (10 g) and cook 3 minutes more, then stir in the tomato (80 g), olives (40 g) and parsley (10 g). Season lightly, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool completely, draining off any liquid.
Drain the filling well — even a spoonful of liquid will burst a pastel in the hot oil.
Done when: Beef browned and cooked through, filling dry, no liquid pooling in the bowl.
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3
Roll the pastry paper-thin
15 minutes
Room temperature 20°C (68°F)
Divide the rested dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 20 x 12 cm, as thin as you can — about 1 mm, thin enough to see the worktop through it. Trim the edges straight with a knife.
Roll from the centre outwards and turn the sheet often — the thinner the pastry, the crisper the pastel.
Done when: Paper-thin rectangles, even thickness, no thick edges.
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4
Fill and seal the pastels
10 minutes
Room temperature 20°C (68°F)
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling and a little grated mozzarella (150 g in total) onto one half of each rectangle, leaving a 1 cm border. Brush the border with water, fold the pastry over, press out the air, and seal the edges firmly with a fork. Cut the sealed edge straight with a knife or pastry wheel.
Press the air out before sealing — trapped air puffs up and bursts the pastel in the oil.
Done when: Neat rectangular pockets, edges firmly sealed, no air trapped inside.
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5
Fry until golden and blistered
15 minutes
Frying oil 180°C (350°F)
Heat the frying oil (500 ml) in a deep pan to 180°C (350°F). Fry the pastels two at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and blistered all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Check the oil is back to 180°C (350°F) before the next batch.
Do not crowd the pan — two at a time keeps the oil hot, and hot oil is what makes the pastry crisp instead of greasy.
Done when: Deep golden, blistered all over, crisp to the touch, filling hot inside.
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6
Serve hot
5 minutes
Serve hot
Serve the pastels at once, hot, with lime wedges and sugarcane juice or cold beer. Two pastels per person is a proper serving.
Eat them within minutes of frying — pastel is at its best while the pastry is still crackling.
Done when: Hot, crisp pastels, no grease pooling on the plate.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the pastels hot, straight from the oil, on paper towels with a squeeze of lime and a cold sugarcane juice or beer. Eat them within minutes — the pastry is at its crispest while it is still hot.
Brazil
1h 5m
