Swordfish Impanata

Today’s dish is another one of my Sicilian recipes: Swordfish Impanata.  Impanata is Italian for empanada and they are basically the same thing: pastry with a filling.  Unlike the South American empanadas, this Sicilian version is made like a pie and portioned only after cooking.  You shouldn’t be surprised to find such a dish in Sicilian cuisines, as Sicily has been ruled by Spain for centuries, so the two cultures have a lot more in common than you may think. This impanata is filled with the most iconinc Sicilian ingredients: swordfish, tomatoes, olives and capers.  It is delicious and very hearty.  It is also a very clever way to have fussy kids eat their fish!  Try it and let me know!  Buon appetito!

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Swordfish Impanata

Swordfish Impanata - a typical Sicilian pie filled with swordfish, tomatoes, olives and capers.

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 600 gms – 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 250 gms – 1 cup lard or butter
• 50 gms – ¼ cup sugar
• 60 ml – ¼ cup white wine
• 2 eggs
• Salt 1 pinch

Filling

• 600 gms – 1 1/3 lb. swordfish cubed into 2.5 cm – 1 inch pieces
• 8 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 tbsp celery chopped
• 4 tbsp green olives pitted and halved
• 4 tbsp capers rinsed
• 50 gms – 1/3 cup peas
• 4 tbsp onion chopped
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Basil leaves
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Pie Crust

1. Put all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and knead it until it all comes together.
2. Make it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour.
   

Filling

1. Sauté the chopped onion in the extra virgin olive oil for 2 minutes.  Add the chopped celery, olives and capers and mix well.
2. Add the tomato puree and mix. Cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the cubed swordfish, peas and salt to taste.
4. Cook for 20 minutes, then put the fire off and add the basil leaves. Let it cool down completely.
   
5. Divide the dough in 2 and roll it into 3 mm – 1/8 inch thick rounds. Put one of the rounds in a greased pie dish, add the filling and then top with the other round of dough. Press the edges closed with your hands on with a fork. If you have any remaining dough, use it to decorate the pie or freeze it. Brush the pie with some milk and sprinkle some salt on the top.
   
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C - 355°F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
7. Serve warm.

Manu

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