Preparation:
**For the corn flour, try a natural food store. You can make your own by grinding corn meal in a food processor until it is extremely fine.
To make the pastry, wash the potatoes well and boil until they are very tender. Spin them, skins and all, in a blender or food processor until they make a smooth paste, or mash thoroughly in a large bowl, making sure to get out all the lumps. Slowly add the corn flour, blending it in with your hands or a wooden spoon to make a stiff dough. The moisture of the potatoes will determine how much corn flour you need, but the mixture should resemble biscuit dough or pie pastry (although it will be somewhat coarser). If the dough becomes too dry, add a few spoons of the water in which the potatoes were cooked. Roll into a ball, wrap in a damp, lint-free cloth, and chill while preparing the filling.
Sauté onions in the oil until they become transparent. Flake the tuna and mix with the onions and the remaining ingredients. If you like hot food, you may wish to double or triple the amount of hot pepper. Unwrap the dough and spread the damp towel on flat surface. Working on top of it, tear off golf ball size pieces of the dough and roll them into circles about 1/8" thick and 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Put a tablespoonful of the tuna filling on half the dough circle, fold the other half over and pinch the edges to seal.
In a deep, heavy pot or deep fryer, heat the oil for frying until a test piece of dough sputters vigorously. They can be deep fried or fried in a couple of inches of oil, turning to cook both sides. Fry 2 or 3 at a time. The oil is the right temperature when a test turnover becomes golden brown after frying about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on absorbent toweling and serve immediately. Plan to serve 3 to 4 turnovers per person. Recipe makes 14 to 16.
Note: Recipe said canned tuna could be substituted but recommended using the fresh.
By Mardi Desjardins |
