Highlights
- Binuo nina Charles at Claire ang The Empanada Boy.
- Tumutulong ang kanilang mga anak sa paggawa ng mga empanada.
- Ayon sa kanila, ang perpektong empanada pastry ay manipis, flaky at malutong at may mga bubbles sa crust nito.
"Cooking isn't just about having the passion for it. It's about creating food with a happy vibe. Oh, and a whole lot of patience," Charles Dodds laughs.
Gamit ang hilig nila sa pagluluto at pasensya, naperpekto ng mag-asawang Charles Dodds at Claire Clifford ang empanada recipe na ginagamit sa pamilya nina Charles mula pa noong 1970s.
Filipino empanadas Source: Claire Clifford and Charles Dodds
Ang pamilya
Nag-asawa ng maaga ang half British-Australian at half Filipino na si Claire at ang Filipino-American na si Charles. Nakatira sila ngayon sa Melbourne kasama ng kanilang apat na anak.
"I grew up in the Philippines and moved to Australia when I was 18. I already had two kids by then. Charles [who I met in the Philippines] and I got married eight years ago. I'm 29 now with four kids," saad ni Claire.
Habang masaya sa pagiging ina ang 29-na-taong gulang na si Claire, ninais din niyang magkaroon ng iba pang pagtutuunan ng pansin.
"I've been on leave from my job as a nurse because I just gave birth to our fourth child. During lockdown, it was also stressful with nothing to do at home.
"Charles [who I met in the Philippines] and I got married eight years ago. I'm 29 now with four kids." Source: Claire Clifford and Charles Dodds
"My husband and I share a love for cooking so we thought: 'Why not make the empanada his family is known for for friends and Filipino students in need?' So we did and we got a lot of great feedback from the empanadas we made."
Isang recipe mula sa 1970s
Ang mga ginawang empanada ng mag-asawa ay nakabase sa isang recipe na ginawa ng tiya ni Charles noong 1970s.
"My aunt had a bakery in the 1970s where she sold empanadas. All her siblings, including my dad, knew the recipe and helped her make them. That's why we call our business, The Empanada Boy - that's the nickname we gave my dad," saad ni Charles.
"Growing up, the recipe was also passed down to me. I learned how to make it as well."
Charles and his dad Source: Charles Dodds
Nang maging bahagi na ng pamilya ni Charles si Claire, natutunan din niyang gumawa nito. Aminado siya na mahirap maperpekto ang recipe.
"We do three kinds of empanadas - classic chicken with chopped chicken breast, potatoes, raisins and potatoes; pork with an egg; and Argentinian-inspired beef with a lot of onions and beans.
"While the filling is pretty straightforward to make, the pastry is hard to learn and perfect. We tried making the pastry with a machine, but it came out so different so we decided to do everything by hand.
"While the filling is pretty straightforward to make, the pastry is hard to learn and perfect." Source: Claire Clifford and Charles Dodds
"Weather also affects our process. It gets really difficult to do the dough when it's hot. We can't turn on the air-conditioning or allow the dough to get exposed to air for a long time because it will dry out."
Ayon kay Charles, ang perpektong piniritong pastry ay manipis, malutong at flakey at may mga bubbles sa crust.
Charles adds that the perfect fried pastry is thin, crispy and flaky with visible bubbles on the crust. Source: Claire Clifford and Charles Dodds
Habang mahirap matutunan ang paggawa ng empanada, enjoy ang mag-anak sa paggawa nito.
"Our kids help make empanadas and help us with packing them as well. It's great bonding for us," saad ni Claire.
"Post-pandemic, we want to have a food truck to sell the empanadas. Even when other people urge us to have other products, we're firm on focusing on just the empanadas - on the recipe handed down in the family through the years."
"Our kids help make empanadas and help us with packing them as well. It's great bonding for us," Claire shares. Source: Claire Clifford and Charles Dodds
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
