Sopaipillas (Chilean Fried Pastries)

1. For the Sopaipilla Dough:Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).

2. On a rimmed baking sheet, brush butternut squash with oil and place cut side down on baking sheet. Roast, flipping squash to cut side up halfway through, until tender and golden brown at edges, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

3. Scoop 8 ounces cooked squash flesh and transfer to a food processor, high powered blender, or immersion blender jar. Save remaining roasted squash for another use. Process squash, scraping down sides of processor bowl as needed, until completely smooth, about 2 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in squash puree and melted shortening until combined and some lumps form.

5. Stir in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a rough ball forms (total added water may range from 3 to 6 tablespoons).

6. Transfer dough to a clean work surface and gently knead by hand until dough feels smooth but still firm, 1 to 2 minutes; do not over-knead the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest on counter for 15 minutes.

7. Unwrap and transfer sopaipilla dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 16-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut circles from the dough.Transfer dough rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dough scraps may be gathered together, rerolled to a 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into more rounds. You should have about 26 dough rounds total.

8. Using a fork, prick each dough round three times (making sure to poke all the way through the dough as this reduces dough from puffing too much while frying).

9. 集线架边的烤盘。线架with a double layer of paper towels. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C). Gently place 5 sopaipillas in hot oil. Cook, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature around 350°F (175°C) degrees, until golden brown on undersides, about 2 minutes. Using a spider skimmer, gently flip sopaipillas and fry until second sides are browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer sopaipillas to prepared rack. Return oil to 350°F and repeat with remaining sopaipillas in batches of 5 at a time.

10. For Sopaipillas Pasadas:In a large pot, stir together chancaca, granulated sugar, orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves and 1 1/2 quarts (1.4L) water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chancaca is dissolved.

11. Whisk cornstarch slurry to remix. Return syrup to a boil over high heat and pour cornstarch slurry into boiling syrup while whisking. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

12. Transfer fried sopaipillas to the hot syrup. Soak sopaipillas until softened to desired consistency, 15 to 90 minutes (see notes). Return to a simmer before serving in individual bowls. Serve 2 to 4 sopaipillas per person with additional hot syrup ladled over top.

13. ForSopaipillas with Pebre:在一个中等大小的碗里,搅拌在一起的所有pebre是edients and season with salt to taste. Let stand at room temperature until flavors meld and vegetables begin to soften, about 20 minutes.Serve pebre alongside freshly fried and crispy sopaipillas.

Special Equipment

Rolling pin, 3-inch round cutter (any cookie cutter, pasta cutter, or sturdy drinking glass ranging in size from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches will work in this recipe), spider skimmer, Dutch oven

Notes

Chancaca is made from raw sugar and molasses from sugar beets, whereas panela and piloncillo are made from just raw cane sugar. While all 3 are very close in flavor, chancaca is much darker in color.

For the sopaipillas pasadas, the final soaking time in Step 12 is a large range to reflect personal preference of how softened you choose the fried pastry to be. Some prefer their sopaipillas lightly soaked, while others will soak them overnight, until the sopaipillas almost dissolve into the syrup. Find your own preferred level.

If you can’t find good tomatoes in the middle of the winter, do as we do in Chile and replace tomatoes with diced green onions or leeks: a perfect pebre de invierno.

Merken is a smoky, spicy seasoning made by the indigenous Mapuche people in central-southern Chile. If unable to find, just omit from the recipe.

Make-Ahead和存储

Dough can be made up to 4 hours ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and kept at room temperature until ready to use. Alternatively, dough can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring dough to room temperature before shaping.

Cut sopaipilla dough rounds can be frozen while still raw, then stored flat in freezer bags or containers, separated by parchment paper. Thaw completely before frying.

Syrup can be cooked through step 10 and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. When ready to use, bring to a simmer in a large pot and continue with the cornstarch slurry in Step 11.

Pebre can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day.