FOOD FOR A CARNAL HOLIDAY

 Easter Sunday signals the joyous end of the Lenten season of penitence and, for the religiously observant. abstinence from meat (carne) and carnal pleasure. In many places in Spain, it’s customary to eat hornazo, a bread roll containing a whole egg, symbol of new life, on Easter Monday. But in Salamanca (Castilla-León in north-central Spain), the hornazo is not a simple roll, but an elaborate empanada filled with pork loin, chorizo sausage and ham as well as egg. 

The occasion for this is Lunes de Aguas, eight days after Easter (April 25 this year), signalling the end of abstinence. Families and friends take to the countryside and riverside to picnic, carrying along the meat-filled hornazo and plenty of wine.

The holiday tradition dates from a 16th century edict promulgated by Felipe II. Salamanca, a university town, then had a population of thousands of students and their attendant servants, stable boys, tavern keeps. To enforce the Lenten strictures, the strait-laced king decreed that all prostitutes were to be banished from the town during Lent. Ferried across the river, they were not allowed to return until eight days after Domingo de Resurrección, Easter Sunday. Their return was an excuse for a party, as revellers went out to greet them on the banks of the river.

Hornazo de Salamanca, an empanada filled with pork loin, chorizo, ham and egg, is traditional for post-Easter picnics.

The latticed crust distinguishes the hornazo from other empanadas.

Juicy chorizo and salty ham add flavor to the bread casing.

Cooked eggs are part of the filling. 

Empanada with Pork Loin, Chorizo and Ham

Hornazo con Lomo, Chorizo y Jamón, Estilo Salamanca

The Salamanca hornazo—good any time of the year!—is typically made with bread dough enriched with lard. It can be hojaldrada, or layered, like puff pastry. A latticed top crust distinguishes it from other empanadas. It’s made by cutting slits in rolled-out dough that is then placed over the top crust. A special roller (see rodillo de celosía on amazon.es) will accomplish the slitting, but it is easily done by hand.

The sliced pork loin is first marinated in adobo for at least an hour or up to eight hours. The chorizo should be salamantino. I didn’t find chorizo from Salamanca but used a similar one from León. Use either serrano or ibérico ham, both famous in Salamanca. If they are unavailable, I’m thinking thinly sliced cooked ham would work too. The salt and the fat from the cured ham and sausage flavor the bread. 

Eggs are optional in the Salamanca hornazo. If using them, peel the hard-boiled eggs and cut them in half.

(I have adapted this recipe from one by Miriam García posted in El Comidista. )

For the empanada dough:

4 cups bread flour + additional for rolling dough

1 envelope instant dry yeast

½ teaspoon sugar

2 ounces lard

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons salt

7 tablespoons warm water

For the filling:

1 pound boneless pork loin

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

6 ounces chorizo

3 ounces thinly sliced serrano ham

3 hard-boiled eggs (optional)

1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

Prepare the dough. Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and stir. Make a well in the center.

Melt the lard (30 seconds in the microwave). Place it in another bowl with the oil, lightly beaten egg and salt. Add the warm water and stir. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour. Use a wooden spoon to begin mixing the flour into the liquid ingredients. When all the flour is mixed in, gather the dough into a ball and transfer to a board. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, 5 minutes. It shouldn’t be necessary to flour the board. 

Dough after rising.

Pat the dough into a smooth ball. Place in the bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Let rest in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Prepare the filling. Slice the pork loin 3/8 inch thick. Place the slices, slightly overlapping, in a shallow dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, pimentón, oregano, parsley, garlic, vinegar and oil. Cover and allow to stand 1 hour (or refrigerate for up to 8 hours).

Slice the chorizo about 3/8 inch thick. Discard casing. Peel the eggs, if using, and cut them in half. 

Assemble and bake the empanada. 

When dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto the board. Remove a piece of approximately one-fifth (1/5) of the whole. Set it aside to make the latticed top crust. Divide the remaining dough into two equal parts. 

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 425ºF.

On a lightly floured board, roll one piece of dough out into a rectangle. Trim the dough to approximately 10 X 12 inches. (Save the scraps.) Transfer the rolled-out dough to the baking sheet.

Marinated pork loin on rolled-out dough.

Cover the slab of dough with the sliced pork loin.

Place the sliced chorizo on top of the loin. If using the eggs, tuck the half-eggs in between the chorizo. Cover with the sliced ham.

Roll out the second piece of dough into a rectangle. Trim so that it is slightly larger than the first slab of dough with the filling. 

Roll it onto the rolling pin and unroll over the filling. 

Roll and pinch the edges of the top and bottom together to seal in the filling. Use a fork to prick the top crust all over. Brush with beaten egg.

Gather the scraps of dough and press them together with the fifth part of dough that was saved. On a lightly floured board (or on a sheet of parchment), roll out the dough longer than the covered empanada, but not as wide. 

Use the tip of a knife to make a line of short incisions lengthwise in the dough. Make a second line of cuts about 1 ½ inches from the first. Continue making linear incisions across the dough. 

Place the baking sheet with the empanada next to the rolled out and incised dough. Lift it onto the top of the empanada. Stretch the dough so that it fits across the width of the empanada. Stretching opens up the incisions, creating the latticed effect. Brush the lattice top with beaten egg.

Bake the empanada until it is golden-brown, 30-35 minutes. Cool it on a rack so that the bottom crust doesn’t become soggy. Serve warm or room temperature. Use a sharp knife or good serrated knife to cut the empanada into slices. 

The hornazo after baking. So important to seal the edges of the dough, so that juices from the filling doesn't leak out! (Not blood, but red chorizo fat has seeped out onto the parchment.)  

Another kind of hornazo: Easter Rolls with Egg.

More recipes for empanadas and picnic breads:

Empanada of Tuna.

Galician Empanada with Pork Loin.

Catalan Flatbread with Toppings (Coca).