46 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 17-23, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Some dishes travel well, or perhaps are well-traveled—or both. Take the hand-held savory pie, for example. It is street food found in sit-down restaurants, a miner’s basic sustenance elevated to standalone appetizer. Almost every culinary culture claims one—or more. There is a simple explanation for the ubiquity, according to Kodey Sommer, sous chef at Estéban Restaurant in Monterey: “They are easy to eat, portable and have a lot of flavor in one bite,” he says. “Empanadas are a favorite amongst our guests.” Estéban, which features Spanish flavors, serves some 300 empanadas each week—puff pastry filled with braised pork and feta then fried until flaky and comforting. At Café Guaraní in Pacific Grove, the empanadas are baked. In the beef version, the husky filling takes kindly to a dab of chimichurri. Café Guaraní’s is a Paraguayan style. The sauce shares a gentle, grassy tone and just the outline of heat with the beef. But which one is proper? It turns out there are no rules here. They can be baked or fried. The dough can be formed from native plants—plantain, yucca—or pie dough. At London Bridge Pub in Monterey, the pastry comes smothered in a brown gravy. And recipes don’t just vary from culture to culture. “There are so many meat pie varieties in Spain,” Sommer explains. “The dough is different depending on the area. Fillings can be meat, chorizo with hard boiled eggs.” Three types of hand-held savory pie are common in Monterey County restaurants. And each is both ancient in origin and well-traveled. So where did they come from? The first print reference to empanadas known to exist is found in a Spanish cookbook from 1520. While Spanish conquest brought empanadas to the New World, where it spread and was adapted, scholars believe the popular dish to be derived from the Middle Eastern sfiha, likely introduced to Spain by the Moors. Samosas rival empanadas in familiarity here. “Gosh,” is all Rajesh Chunara of Aahba Indian Cuisine in Carmel can muster when it comes to numbers prepared each day. Often more than 30 a night go from kitchen to tables. The recipe for Aahba’s samosas is vegetarian, with potato, peas, cumin and other spices—no garlic, no onion. And many consider this the traditional version. Yet at Ambrosia India Bistro in Monterey, chicken or lamb is sometimes an addition. Ambrosia’s chicken filling is mild in nature. The meat drifts into the background, allowing the peas and spices to tap sweet, earthy and herbal notes on the palate. And in fairness, Chunara notes, “In India now we have a lot of varieties.” Again, scholars trace the samosa not to the subcontinent, but to ancient Persia. The oldest reference dates to the 11th century and describes a pastry filled with meat, dried fruit and nuts. Eventually what became modern samosas swept into India, to again be transformed over and over according to region—and especially by the New World, where Europeans first encountered the potatoes now essential for the typical filling recipe. So it’s clear the hand pies are readily adaptable. But before we concede that the Middle East appears to be the likely origin—it was the cradle of civilization—no one really knows who first folded meat or other savory ingredients in dough. We just know that they spread rapidly around the globe. According to the Cornish Pasty Association, the British version has been around since at least the 13th century. By the time it became associated with Cornish miners, the pasty was a hefty thing, with a thick crust rumored to be able to survive a mineshaft tumble. The meat and vegetables inside formed a natural gravy. Alas, gravy ladled over the version at London Bridge Pub takes it out of the handheld realm—although, to their credit, a meaty, peppered brown gravy is good on most anything. There is another filled dough common to the area. It is thought that pupusas first appeared in what is now El Salvador some 2,000 years ago. But culinary pedantics will note that these have more in common with griddle cakes than pies. So common fare is well-traveled. As Aahba’s Harsh Bhati says of samosas, “In Delhi—restaurant or street food, 10 to 1, people go for street food.” First course Empanadas at Café Guaraní in Pacific Grove are a favorite. They are prepared with Paraguayan flair, a mark of the savory pies’ versatility. Birthday Bash…Other Brother Beer Co. celebrates its five-year anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 19 with food and drink specials all day. Sip pours of craft beers for $5 and indulge in birthday cake. They will be opening a second location, this one in Aptos. 877 Broadway Ave., Seaside. 747-1106, otherbrotherbeer.com. Fry and Pie…When you combine a fish fry with pie, music, art and prizes for a cause, what else can we say? Fish Fry & Fine Pie on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 2-6pm is a fundraiser supporting Big Sur arts. Bring a pie to share...and $20, the suggested donation. Henry Miller Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. thebigsurbigshare.com. Spooky Sweet…Quail & Olive hosts a spooky happy hour at Seabold Cellars at 6-8pm Wednesday, Oct. 23. Sip Seabold’s wines while grazing. Dress up if you really want to get in the spooky spirit. $66. 3 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley. 659-4288, eventbrite.com. Air Fare…Dine on the Big Sur heights overlooking the Pacific at 1pm Wednesday, Oct. 23. The outdoor meal is prepared by Chef Jacob Burrell of Niner Wine Estates. The pours are from Oban, the single malt whiskey distillery. The location is…secret, until you buy a ticket. $525. outstandinginthefield.com. Pop Top…The patio and full bar at Pop & Hiss are open at last. The bar is open Tuesday-Friday starting at 5pm, and Saturday-Sunday starting at 1pm. 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. instagram.com/popandhiss. on Tap…The Pacific Grove brewery Hops & Fog has been busy since a soft opening in August. The grand opening takes place 6-9pm Wednesday, Oct. 23, with new brews to sample and 10-percent off deals. 511 Lighthouse Ave., P.G. 215-1658, hopsandfog.beer. Hello Joe…The popular coffee truck Brewjee opened a storefront in downtown Salinas. It’s already as popular as the wheeled version. 16 E. Gabilan St., Salinas. brewjeecoffeeco.com. Pretty Pink…Given that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Portola restaurants, Peter B’s and Jack’s Monterey, are putting the Pink Panther Lemon Drop back on the menu. $1 from each sold this month will be donated to the Breast Cancer Assistance Group of Monterey County. 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey. 222-5851, portolahotel. com/dining. By Jacqueline Weixel morsels eatanddrink@montereycountynow.com “Restaurant or street food, 10 to 1, people go for street food.” Eat + DrinK Daniel Dreifuss Grab, Go The savory pie is often viewed as a street food, and it has traveled thoroughly. By Dave Faries
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