In a bid to use up my turkey leftovers last week I decided to make some turkey salteñas. Salteñas, a childhood staple of mine, are a Bolivian meat pie commonly stuffed with a spicy beef or chicken filling. In my experience turkey is rarely used in Salteñas, but I thought that this might be a nice alternative to the usual turkey potpie.
This recipe was adapted from the Spirits of the Earth cookbook, and makes 16 medium sized Salteñas.
Filling:
Make the filling ahead of time or even the day before. You want the filling to be fully cooled and almost solidified before you start to form the Salteñas.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1 diced Onion
- 2 peeled and cubed Potatoes
- 2 cups diced Turkey (I used precooked turkey, but you can also use raw turkey, beef, or chicken)
- 1 cup Green Peas
- 1 cup Turkey Broth (you can use chicken broth if you do not have any turkey broth on hand)
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Sriracha Chili Sauce (you can also use some other type of Asian chili sauce.
- 1 tsp Peprika
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/4 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup of pitted Olives (Kalamata or Spanish olives)
Directions:
- Melt the butter in the bottom of a large stew pot.
- Add the flour to create a roux.
- Add in the onion, followed by the potatoes, turkey, and peas.
- Add the broth.
- Add all the spices, sugar, sauces, and seasoning.
- Cook the ingredients together until the sauce starts to thicken, the potatoes and meat are fully cooked, and the filling starts to resemble a stew. Add a little bit of water if the filling is getting to dry, but keep in mind that you want the liquid to congeal when it cools.
- Remove the filling from the heat and add the raisins and olives
- Allow the filling to cool down in the refrigerator.
Hard Boil 4 Eggs
Make these ahead of time so that they are ready to be peeled and cut into quarters prior to stuffing the Salteñas.
Dough:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of Flour (more for rolling out and dusting the dough)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Shortening
- 1 egg yoke (save the egg white for the egg wash)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup lukewarm Water
Directions:
- Combine the dry ingredients along with the shortening in a food processor.
- Add the egg yoke and continue to combine.
- Slowly pour the milk and then the water into the running food processor. The dough will be a little soft and sticky.
Forming the Salteñas
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Add 4 sliced scallions and 3 tbsp chopped parsley to the cooled filling.
- Peel the hard boiled eggs and chop them into quarters
- On a well floured surface, roll the dough out to a little over 1/8″ thick.
- Cut out 16 circles that are about 6″ in diameter.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle.
- Add an egg quarter to each Salteñas
- Lift the two far ends of the dough together encasing the filling, and twist them together sealing the Salteña. Tuck the ends in underneath the Salteña. This is a little difficult, and getting it right takes practice. If you want to cheat, you can fold them over like an empanada or a large dumpling and seal the filling in that way.
- Place the Salteñas on parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Make an egg wash out of the remaining egg while and 1 tbsp of water.
- Brush the Salteñas with the egg wash.
- Bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Full List of Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 3 cups + 1 tbsp Flour
- 1 diced Onion
- 2 peeled and cubed Potatoes
- 2 cups diced Turkey (I used precooked turkey, but you can also use raw turkey, beef, or chicken)
- 1 cup Green Peas
- 1 cup Turkey Broth (you can use chicken broth if you do not have any turkey broth on hand)
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp Sugar + 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Sriracha Chili Sauce (you can also use some other type of Asian chili sauce.
- 1 tsp Peprika
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/4 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup of pitted Olives (Kalamata or Spanish olives)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Shortening
- 4 eggs + 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup lukewarm Water
- 4 sliced Scallions
- 3 tbsp chopped Parsley