Empanadas de Chiverre
Sweet Holy Week empanadas filled with miel de chiverre — the spiced, candied strands of fig-leaf gourd — in a tender corn or flour pastry. A cherished Semana Santa tradition.
Ingredients
- 1 chiverre (fig-leaf gourd) (or 3 cups prepared miel de chiverre)
- 2 cupstapa dulce or brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 cupsmasa harina or flour (for the dough)
- 1/2 cupbutter or lard
- 1/2 cupsugar (for the dough)
- 1 egg
- warm water (as needed)
Instructions
- 1
Make (or use prepared) miel de chiverre: roast the fig-leaf gourd, shred the flesh into strands, rinse, then cook it down slowly with tapa dulce, cinnamon, and cloves until thick, amber, and jammy, about 1 hour. Cool.
60:00 - 2
Make the dough: knead masa harina (or flour) with butter or lard, sugar, an egg, and enough warm water to form a smooth, soft, rollable dough.
- 3
Roll out and cut into rounds. Spoon the chiverre filling onto one half, leaving a clean border for sealing.
- 4
Fold over and seal the edges firmly with a fork, pressing out air pockets so they don't burst.
- 5
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until golden, about 25 minutes, or fry until crisp and golden. Dust with sugar and serve warm.
25:00
Notes
A Semana Santa (Holy Week) staple. Making miel de chiverre from the whole gourd is a labor of love — jarred miel is widely sold and a perfectly good shortcut. Seal well; the syrupy filling loves to escape. Equally good baked (lighter) or fried (richer). Photo: Aleat88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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