Make empanadas

 

Makes 15-20

You will need:

For the pastry:

• 450g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 120g butter, cubed
• 100ml water

For the filling:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g beef mince*
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 small green pepper, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• Salt & pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

To serve:

• Sour cream
• Salsa

*For a vegetarian alternative, dice 2 courgettes and roast along with 180g sweetcorn for 20 minutes. Combine with a tin of black beans and a little grated cheese, along with the cooked onion, garlic and spices to create your filling.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. To make the pastry, put the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Add enough cold water to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for one hour.

4.To make the filling, gently heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the mince and cook for a couple of minutes until brown. Remove the meat and juice from the pan and set to one side.

5. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan, then fry the onion, garlic and pepper until soft. Add the spices and seasoning and cook for a further minute.

6. Return the meat and juices to the pan and stir everything together. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

7. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 15 circles approximately 10cm in diameter. If you have enough remaining pastry, reroll and cut out more circles.

8. Put a tablespoon of filling on one half of each pastry circle. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, then fold over and use a fork to crimp the edges together.

9. Brush the empanadas with the remaining egg and place on a lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

10. Serve, hot or cold, with sour cream and/or salsa.