Butternut Squash Empanadas
Moderate
6 Servings
10 minutes bake time
Chef: Dominic Chapman, Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 Red pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- pinch of ground cumin
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, diced and the seeds reserved
- 1 swede, peeled and diced
- 1 turnip, peeled and diced
- salt
- freshly ground salt and pepper
- 1 small bunch of sage leaves, finely chopped
- 120g goats cheese
For the crust:
- 500g Jus-Rol™ Shortcrust Pastry Block
- plain flour, for dusting
- 1 egg yolk, beaten, to glaze
To serve:
- Watercress
- bunch of chives, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, whisked together
Equipment required
- Baking paper
- Sharp knife
- Pastry Brush
- Bowl
- Baking tray
Techniques Used
Method
- For the filling, rub the pepper with a little olive oil, then under a hot grill or over a gas flame, grill the pepper so that the skin blisters and chars, turning with tongs so that it is even, then place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and allow to cool.
- Melt a large knob of butter in a pan and sweat the onion with the crushed garlic and a pinch of cumin. When the onion starts to soften, add the squash, swede and turnip, and continue to sweat the vegetables down.
- When cooked through, but still retaining their shape, remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables out on a baking tray to allow them to cool as quickly as possible.
- Peel and deseed the red pepper, then dice evenly and add to a large bowl with the cooled vegetables and chopped sage. Mix briefly to combine.
- For the butternut squash seeds, clean and dry the seeds, then add to a pan with a generous amount of olive oil and gently fry over a low heat until golden and crisp. Season with salt, then reserve for serving.
- To assemble the empanadas, divide the pastry into 6 pieces, then roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick. Cut each piece into a large circle (you could cut around a plate as a guide), transfer to baking baking trays and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Once rested, roll the rolling pin over each circle again to loosen it slightly and form an oblong shape.
- Place a couple of spoonfuls of the squash mixture and crumble over a sixth of the cheese into the centre of each pastry, then brush around the edge with the egg yolk.
- Fold up the two largest edges around the filling and carefully pinch the two sides together all the way along until fully sealed. Fold the seam over to hide the join, then pinch together again to form a neat edge.
- Repeat for all six empanadas, then rest in the fridge for another 10 minutes, or until ready to cook.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
- Brush the pastry all over with egg yolk, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with a salad of watercress leaves and chopped chives, dressed with a simple vinaigrette and scattered with the fried squash seeds.
