Curried Pea Empanadas

LEVEL: easy Cook: 30 minutes 25

Curried Pea Empanadas

BOOKMARK

DELICIOUS

Description

You won’t be able to stop at just one…

So we’ve said you won’t be able to stop at just one… I’ll elaborate – we made a small batch for a recipe test because we were a little uncertain of how they might turn out… but the recipe was such a success that we ate the entire first batch, skipped dinner and then made another batch the following day.

The recipe we present to you? You’ll be pleased to know it makes one BIG batch, if you make them small – you’ll get around 30-35, make them a little larger and you’ll end up with around 20-25.

When we made these, we did one oven batch and one fryer batch. The oven batch were fine, though less golden and a few had started to split after about 25 minutes on 200 degrees. The batch we chucked in the fryer took all of a couple of minutes and came out golden with crisp edges and no breakages. The choice is yours, if you want a healthier option definitely opt for the oven baking – it means you can sneak eat any split ones before anyone notices!

And… you could call this the not so secret recipe (so no there’s not that many steps to the empanadas, there’s actually a recipe for dip there too). It’s a roasted brussel sprout hummus. Sound intriguing? It’s simple, tasty and as it just so happened, meant we could sneak in some brussels for the sprout haters. Enjoy!

Ingredients

for the dough:

375ml water

500gm gluten free all purpose (plain flour) + extra

50gm nuttelex

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. pepper

pinch salt

1/2 tsp. gluten free baking powder (we use McKenzie's)

for the filling:

500gm podded peas (or use frozen)

1 large onion

1/2 c sultanas

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

for the curry paste:

1 tsp. mustard powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garam masala (optional)

1 tsp. allspice

pinch chilli powder (optional)

2 1/2 tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed

3 tbsp. water

for the brussel sprout hummus:

20 brussel sprouts, stem removed & halved

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

pinch salt & pepper

120gm tin chickpeas, drained

3 tbsp. tahini

Directions

1: to make the dough:
2: In a small pot combine water, nuttelex, paprika, pepper and salt. Bring to the boil over medium heat and whisk in the nuttelex as it melts. Once boiling remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
3: Sift 500gm gluten free plain flour into a large bowl.
4: Add the cool water mixture to the flour and mix until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate/freeze (for up to 60 minutes) while you make the filling and the dip.
5: to make the curry paste:
6: Combine all powders with 2-3 tbsp. of tap water until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
7: to make the filling:
8: Blanch and then drain the peas.
9: Thinly slice the onion.
10: Add 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil to a pot along with the sliced onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.
11: Add the peas and stir through the onion.
12: Add the curry paste to the peas and onion and stir well to coat.
13: Reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to thicken, stir occasionally.
14: Add the sultanas and stir to coat all ingredients. Leave for 3-5 minutes and then remove from the heat to cool.
15: for the dip:
16: Preheat oven to 225 degrees Celsius, fan forced.
17: Toss brussel sprouts with maple and roast for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool.
18: Add cool brussel sprouts, salt, pepper and chickpeas to the jug or bowl of a good blender and blend until all ingredients are chopped small.
19: Add the tahini and blend again until the mixture is thick and chunky.
20: Spoon into serving bowls and refrigerate until serving.
21: Optional: swirl through extra virgin olive oil and top with choice of dukkah
22: to form the empanadas:
23: Dust benchtop with extra flour before starting to roll dough. Cut portions of chilled dough to work with and set the rest back in the fridge.
24: Roll each portion as thin as possible without breaking or sticking to the bench. Cut into squares sized to your desire.
25: For smaller empanadas, place a teaspoon or so of the mixture on the dough and then fold up and over to form a triangle. For larger empanadas, use a dessert spoon and fold up and over to form a triangle.
26: Seal the triangles and either bake at 180 Celsius for 20-30 minutes or fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp (don't forget to drain if you're frying).