Empanadillas

Empanadillas are delicious pockets of crisp and flaky pastry, packed with flavorsome veggies, that are a perfect lunchtime dish. 

Vegan Empanadillas

Recipe by Demuths Cookery School (www.demuths.co.uk)

Makes: 8 empanadillas  

Ingredients

• 225g white strong bread flour
• 110g fine cornmeal
• 100ml white wine
• 25g vegan margarine (melted)
• 50ml soya milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tin chickpeas
• 50g pitted black olives, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• a small handful of parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper
• Olive oil or soya milk to glaze the pastry

Method

1. First make the dough. Mix all the dough ingredients together and form into a soft ball and knead well for a couple of minutes.
2. Leave to rest for 20 minutes, wrapped in cling film in the fridge.
3. To make the filling. Heat a frying pan, add the olive oil and fry the peppers and onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and gently fry for 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, olives and chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes until the mixture is dry. Add lemon juice, parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a bowl and leave to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C/180CFan/Gas 6.
5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
6. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 8 balls and roll them into 15 cm circles. Put 2 tablespoons of the filling mix into each circle, pull up the sides into a half moon pasty shape and pinch the edges to seal. Use a little water around the edges to help them stick if needed.
7. Brush with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden.