Hidalgo-Style Chicken Tinga Paste (Mexican Cornish Pasty)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan on medium heat and cook the sliced onion for 5 min until soft and translucent, then add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds more until fragrant.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspOnion, thinly sliced 120 gGarlic cloves 1

   medium heat

2. Blend the tomatoes and chipotle until smooth. Cut the chicken into 2 cm pieces and the potato into 1 cm cubes. Add the tomato sauce, chicken, potato, water, oregano and salt to the pan, bring to the boil on medium-high heat, then cover, turn down to low heat and cook for 15 min, until the chicken is white with no pink in the middle and a fork slides easily into the potato.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 200 gChipotle chillies in adobo (or ½ tsp chipotle powder each) 1Boneless chicken thighs 240 gPotato 120 gWater 90 mlDried oregano ½ tspSalt ½ tsp

   medium-high heat→low heat

3. Uncover, shred the chicken with two forks in the pan and cook on medium heat for 3 min, stirring, until the sauce is almost absorbed and the filling is thick; a runny filling makes soggy pastry. Spread it on a large plate and cool for 15 min; hot filling melts the fat in the pastry and makes it burst.

   medium heat

4. Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Cut the pastry into Ø 20 cm ×2 circles and spoon the cooled tinga onto one half of each, leaving a 2 cm border. Brush the border with water, fold over and seal by pressing with a fork, or twist into a rope crimp by hand.

   Add in this stepReady-made shortcrust pastry 360 g

5. Line 30×40 cm ×1 baking tray(s) with paper, lay the pastes on them, brush with beaten egg and cut a small steam hole. Bake (oven) for 25 min until the pastry is deep golden. The filling is already cooked, so you only need the pastry baked through.

   Add in this stepEgg, beaten (to glaze) 1

   oven

6. Cool for 5 min, then serve with sour cream and chopped coriander. The filling is very hot, so take the first bite carefully.

   Add in this stepSour cream 60 gFresh coriander (cilantro) 5 g