Recipe Inspiration

Ingredients...

Empanada Pastry
360g Plain Flour
5g Salt
180g Vegetarian Suet
50g Egg
150g Ice Water

Mushrooms Empanada Mix
2g Chipotle Chilli Powder
750g Wild Mushrooms (Mixed) - Cleaned
30g Mirin
80g Soy Sauce
10g Chopped Garlic
15g Arrowroot
120g Water
20g Essential Cuisine Chicken Stock Mix
17g Sherry Vinegar

Green Chilli and Orange Kosho
400g Jalapeno Peppers - Or just big green mild chillies - Deseeded
50g Orange Juice
20g Orange Zest
10g Salt

To Serve
Labneh or Thick Greek Yogurt
Beetroot Puree
Snipped Chives
Nigella Seeds

Method...

1. Green Chilli and Orange Kosho – Roughly chop the chillies and place in a bowl with the orange zest, juice and salt. Mix and place into a sealed container or seal in a vacuum bag. Leave room temperature to ferment for 2-3 days. Once ready, blend to a sooth puree. Set aside until needed.

2. Empanada Pastry - Place the plain flour, salt and suet in a bowl. Mix until combined. Add the egg and mix. Start to add ¾ of the water and mix until a dough is starting to form. If it seems a bit dry, then add the remaining water. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Mushroom Filling – Place some oil in a pan and add in the mushrooms. Fry in 2 batches until golden brown. Lay on kitchen paper to drain and cool. Add the mirin, soy, half of the water, Essential Cuisine Chicken Stock Mix, garlic and sherry vinegar to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Mix the remaining water with the with the arrowroot and add to the pain stirring to avoid lumping. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Mix the sauce and mushrooms together and set aside.

4. To assemble bring the pastry out of the fridge. Split into 10 even sized pieces and roll them out to 2-3mm thick rounds. Place under a damp cloth to stop them from drying out.

5. Place some filling into the middle of a piece of pastry. Brush some water around the edge to seal. Fold one edge over to the other and seal down the edge (like a Cornish Pasty). Crimp the edge and place onto a baking sheet. Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp. Allow to cook slightly before serving.

6. To serve, place on a serving plate, add some dots of the beetroot and the labneh, some snipped chives and nigella seeds. Place the kosho on the side for dipping or spooning.