FOOLPROOF PICNIC: 60 delightful dishes to enjoy outdoors by Marina Fillippelli (Qaudrille) Photography: Laura Edwards
Prawn, Red Pepper & Chorizo Empanadas
These tasty empanadas are really easy to make. The twisted seal might seem fiddly at first, but with a little practice it becomes child’s play
If you want to hone your technique, there are some brilliant videos online by Argentinian home cooks showing how it’s done.
Makes
12
Prep
15 mins + chilling time
Cook
50 mins–1 hour
Ingredients
- For the pastry
- 300g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 1 tsp salt
- 110g unsalted butter, cubed and well chilled
- 1 egg, plus 1 lightly beaten egg for glazing
- 4 tbsp chilled water
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- For the filling
- 75g cooking chorizo, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 75g potatoes, peeled and cut into pea-sized pieces
- 125g raw shelled prawns, chopped
- 45g roasted peppers from a jar, chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
- To make the pastry, put the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add the egg and pulse to combine, then add the water and vinegar, bit by bit, until the pastry is just starting to come together, adding a little extra chilled water if it is still too crumbly. Turn out, press the mixture together, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- For the filling, cook the chorizo in a medium frying pan with a lid over a medium-low heat for two to three minutes until starting to crisp up. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan over the heat. Stir in the onions and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over a low heat for 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked and the onions translucent and really tender. Stir in the chopped prawns and as soon as they turn pink, remove the pan from the heat and add the peppers and parsley. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/400F/gas 6 and line two baking sheets with baking paper. To shape the empanadas, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and cover them with a clean dish towel. On a floured work surface, roll one pastry round into a 12cm circle. Spoon 2 tsp of the filling into the centre of the dough circle and fold in half to make a semi-circle-shaped parcel. Press the edges together firmly then twist your way around to crimp the edge; or, if you prefer, simply press the edges together using the tines of a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet and continue shaping the remaining dough balls and filling in the same way, until you have 12 parcels. The empanadas can now be covered and chilled in the fridge for up to one day before baking, if you like.
- To bake, brush the empanadas with beaten egg and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden. Switch the position of the oven trays 20 minutes into cooking to give the empanadas a chance to brown evenly. Cool on a wire rack. The empanadas keep well at room temperature for one day.
FOOLPROOF PICNIC: 60 delightful dishes to enjoy outdoors by Marina Fillippelli (Qaudrille) Photography: Laura Edwards
