Thursday, 9 October 2008

Recipe - Mini Empanadas


I'm never comfortable working with pastry, as you probably can see from the photo, but I have told myself that I need to get better with it. It really doesn't agree with me but I won't be the one of us two who budges first.

These mini empanadas works nice for dinner, or why not use them as a nibble for a party or as a starter? You can make the filling quite tame and then let your guests adjust the heat by providing different types of dips and sauces.

I cheated and used Jus-Rol ready rolled shortcrust pastry sheets but there's lots of recipes around for the proper dough. It's not that hard to make, even I have managed in the past, but I just couldn't be bothered tonight.

Ingredients (makes about 12)
250 g mince
1 onion, chopped
1 small can of sweet corn
1 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste/puree
2 packs of Jus-Rol ready rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Spice mix, for example cajun
Water, if needed

Method
Heat the oven to 200c.

Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the mince and let it fry until it starts to brown. Add the onion and the tomato paste and let this fry for a little while. Season to taste and add a little water if it's getting too dry. Stir in the sweet corn and let it heat through. Let this mixture cool down.

Put the pastry sheets on your chopping board and use a 10cm/4in cutter to make circles. Put about one tablespoon of the mince mixture onto each circle and fold double. Use a fork to seal the edge and baste with the egg mixture.

Put onto a non stick oven tray or similar and put into the oven for about 20 minutes or until nicely crisp and coloured.

Serve with hot/dipping sauces and a crisp salad.

Enjoy!

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// Mike