In belated celebration of National Spanish Paella Day, and in early celebration of National Empanada Day on April 8, El Meson has generously provided the Castro family recipes for Empanadas Rellenas and their famous Paella Valenciana.
Empanadas rellenas stuffed with picadillo
Small meat pies originated in Spain, this classic is always a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients:
3 pounds mashed potatoes, cooled
1 pound ground beef
3 cups tomatoes, diced
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup green peppers, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon olives
1 tablespoon raisins
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Pie dough, in individual circles
Directions
Mix together all of the ingrediants except the pie dough. Fill the dough circles in a half-moon shape, fold over to close, and press ends to seal in stuffing. Prepare an egg wash, brush it over the pies, then bake at 350 for 12 minutes until golden.
Paella Valenciana
Dating back to 19th century Valencia, a region on the east coast of Spain, this rich, massive dish can be altered to incorporate any or all of your favorite ingredients, but it’s traditionally made with ingredients handily available in Spain, all thrown into a pan together.
It should be made in a paella pan, which is flat and lipped with a handle on either side. Standard size feeds 6-8 people and is about 12 inches in diameter, but they can be found as small as 6 inches in diameter or big enough to feed 100. This recipe feeds 10.
½ cup Xtra Virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup minced garlic
Sautee until tender, then add:
1 pound chicken cubed
1 pound fish cubed
1 pound Chorizo (Spanish sausage)
When half cooked, add 3 cups short grain rice.
4 cups seasoned fish broth (salt, white pepper, 10 threads of saffron)
Cover and allow rice to bloom (approx. 20 minutes).
Add 20 large shrimp, 20 scallops, 20 black mussels.
Re-cover for 5 minutes.
Finally, add 1 cup thawed green peas.
Garnish with roasted red pepper strips and lemon wedges.
Add juice of 2 lemons over entire paella.
“There’s something about creative food and good people in a warm environment that puts smiles on faces,” said Bill Castro, general manager of El Meson Restaurant in West Carrollton.
“The ability to sit down and enjoy a good meal can make a big difference in someone’s day,” Castro said.
Also a partner in the business, along with sister Maria and parents Herman and Gloria, Bill has worked daily since 1978 to bring authentic Hispanic cuisine to the Miami Valley.
The multi-award-winning establishment, a brightly colored oasis right off I-75’s West Carrollton exit, has many reasons to celebrate. Earlier this week, El Meson greeted National Spanish Paella Day with free samples of their signature dish, Paella Valenciana, and tonight the restaurant will throw a Bacardi salsa dance party. Fifteen dollars gains access to all-you-can-eat tapas selections, a flight of Bacardi rum tastes and salsa dancing. Or, if you come early and dine before the event, you can show your receipt and get into the party for $5.
‘Two feet, two hands and ambition’
The Castros, who hail from Colombia, were living in Dayton in 1978 while Herman worked for NCR. With two children to feed and no food service experience or training, he retired early to open his own restaurant in a building that had formerly housed a failing pizzeria.
“He had two feet, two hands and ambition,” Bill said. “We found that Dayton has the ability to support real cultural and ethnic food, and we never looked back. We made a pact to not cut corners or simplify the food, make it bland, but to be as authentic and true to the various regions as possible. Every Hispanic country has its own regional delicacies, and, as we became more confident, we cultivated a following for cuisine that no one else in the area was providing.”
“We started traveling every year to do better and more complete research,” Bill said. “Eventually we began organizing group trips with patrons. We’ve done at least two dozen, to a different country each year. I take them to outdoor markets, to hear music, to see the everyday life and not the usual tourist kind of things that hold you away from experiencing the real culture. Last year, we went to Spain with 40 customers. This year, we’re doing a little something different, and we’re going to Italy — the trip sold out in 48 hours. Every culture has influences from another, and Argentina is very much influenced by Italy, from the style of the language to the architecture, the red wines, the food and even the genetics of their looks.”
Canvas in the kitchen
“Cooking is like painting,” Bill said. “You have to start with a clean canvas, a tool and a variety of colors on your palette, and something to express. Just like an artist wouldn’t paint the same thing the same way on two different days, a dish may change depending on what you feel. If you have fresh ingredients and you see how the garlic is playing with the onions and tomatoes, and you understand how garlic fresh from the ground is different from garlic that’s been sitting a few weeks, or how tomatoes in January are different from tomatoes in July ... . That’s a true understanding of the art of cooking.”
That tomato example comes from direct experience. Last year Herman, at age 75, sowed 1,000 tomato plants on his farm. He developed a natural watering system, and he and Gloria harvested them with the help of one neighbor. In 2011, the Castros supplied El Meson and Kettering’s Mamma DiSalvo’s Italian Ristorante with tomatoes, and some even went to Dorothy Lane Market.
“We try as much as possible to buy locally,” he said, “and to order our other ingredients, whether from Chicago or Miami, naturally frozen without any additives or preservatives, so that they’re as fresh and close as possible to their natural flavor. When people come to us and say they have celiac disease or other special dietary requirements, we can work with them to create a dish they can enjoy, where chain restaurants can’t, because everything we make is made from scratch.”
“We do a cooking class once a quarter,” he said, “and we teach things like that. Not only to participate, but to experience, to see the ingredients and be able to tweak them. If someone likes a little more garlic, for instance, we can give them more, because we show them how the garlic adds to the dish. Anyone can be an artist in cooking. Just because someone’s never been exposed to it doesn’t mean they can’t do it.”
“All anyone really needs is the passion to cook with your senses. Your smell, your taste. Surround yourself with people you love. Have a glass of wine, some conversation. Don’t make it a chore — make it an experience.”
About the Author