Chicken, Chorizo and Pepper Empanadas
Thought to have originated in Spain, these portable pastries are just the thing for a picnic. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Hands-on time 45min, plus chilling. Cooking time about 1¼hr. Makes 8
for the pastry
250g (9oz) plain flour, plus extra to dust
100g (3½oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 large egg, beaten
1tsp white wine vinegar for the filling
½tbsp olive oil
60g pack diced chorizo
1 skinless chicken thigh fillet
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½tsp sweet smoked paprika
½tsp ground cumin ½tbsp tomato purée
75g (3oz) roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped
100ml (3½fl oz) dry white wine
1 Whizz flour and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2tbsp egg (reserving the rest to glaze), 2tbsp cold water and vinegar; pulse until just coming together. Add a little more water if mix looks dry.
2 Tip on to a work surface and knead briefly to form a smooth pastry. Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill while you make the filling.
3 To make the filling, heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat and fry chorizo for 4-5min until golden and releasing oil. Lift out with a slotted spoon; set aside. Next, fry chicken until golden all over; set aside with chorizo. Add onion to pan and cook for 5-6min, until softened, then stir in garlic, paprika, cumin and tomato purée and cook for 1min. Return chicken and chorizo to pan, with peppers, wine and seasoning.
4 Cover and cook for 15min, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. Remove lid and cook until thickened. Lift chicken on to a board, finely chop, return to mixture and leave to cool completely.
5 Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm (⅛in) thick. Stamp out 8 circles using a 10cm (4in) cutter (re-roll trimmings). Spoon a heaped tsp of filling on to the middle of each, leaving a 1cm (½in) border.
6 Brush pastry edges with a little water, then bring together to form a semicircle and press to seal. Transfer to prepared sheet and crimp edges with a fork. Chill for 30min.
7 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Brush empanadas with remaining egg and cook for 30min, until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
PER EMPANADA 286cals, 8g protein, 16g fat (8g saturates), 26g carbs (1g total sugars), 2g fibre