Chorizo, Sweet Potato and Feta Empanadas with a Mango Avocado Salsa

January 22, 2017May 29, 2017

Hello, hello, hello just a quick post from me today to share my recipe for these empanadas!

Empanadas originate from Spain and are a pastry or bread that is folded up and stuffed with a variety of meat, cheese or vegetables. I have combined some of the best ingredients from both Spain (chorizo and paprika) and Mexico (lime and coriander) in this recipe today and served it up with a sweet and creamy salsa and a garlic yogurt to give a little extra punch of flavour on the side! You can obviously choose not to make these accompaniments as the empanadas are just as delicious on their own and would make for a perfect easy canape or lunch box filler. These can also be adapted for vegetarians simply by excluding the chorizo but I would suggest adding a tsp more paprika to give a little more infusion of that delcious smokiness.

A few notes to consider when making these:

I have been a little bit naughty and used ready made puff pastry as I wanted this to be a super simple recipe, I salute you if you chose to make your own however! Either way take the pastry out of the fridge a little while before you cook it so that it can get to room temperature.
Ensure that the sweet potato filler has completely cooled down before you stuff it in the pastry as excess heat (and therefore moisture) will make the pastry soggy and we are aiming for a nice crisp shell.
When the empanadas are in the oven keep an eye on them as all ovens are slightly different so the cooking time I have suggested you may need to adjust this cooking time a little bit.

Makes 16 empanadas

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 15 – 20 minutes

Ingredients

70g chorizo, diced into small cubes
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely diced
40 g feta cheese
30 g mature cheddar, grated
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 large bunch of coriander, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp plain flour
1 egg, whisked
(1) 320 g approx. sheet of pre made puff pastry
1 mango, de stoned, peeled and diced
1 avocado, de stoned, peeled and diced
3 tbsp natural yogurt
2 crushed garlic cloves

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C.
Boil a large pan of water, add the sweet potato and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain the water and generously season with salt and pepper and stir in the butter until melted. Use a fork or masher to crush the sweet potato into a smooth mash (or with lumps if you prefer).
Meanwhile heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the chorizo for 5 minutes before pouring the chorizo and the oil from the pan into the sweet potato. Squeeze in half of the lime juice, stir in the cheddar and half of the coriander and then crumble the feta over it all. Use a spoon to stir this mixture until it is all evenly combined. Use two teaspoons to scoop out this mixture, shape them into small sausage shapes (see pictures above) and then place on a tray or plate. Do this until all of the mixture has been used up and then place in the fridge to chill.
Sprinkle the flour onto a clean surface and lay out the sheet of puff pastry. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pastry a little bit, I find that pre made puff pastry can be a little too thick otherwise, but this step is not essential. Use a 4 inch cookie cutter to cut out 16 circles. N.B. If you only have small cutters then just put smaller amounts of the mixture into them. If you do not have any cookie cutters then use a knife to slice around a glass in order to make circles.
Remove the sweet potato mixture from the fridge and place a sausage of the mixture slightly off center on each pastry circle. Use a pastry brush (or your finger) to run a little of the whisked egg around the edge of each circle and then fold the pastry in half to form a semi circle – use your fingers to flatten the pastry down and release air bubbles (in the section where there is no mixture), place the flat side of the prongs of a fork to seal the semi circle. See the photos above if you are unclear on how to do this. Brush a little of the egg mixture over each empanada, this ensures it browns well in the oven. Place on a baking tray (or two) and cook for 15 – 20 minutes.
Whilst the empanadas are in the oven you can make the sides. Stir together the garlic and the yogurt to form the garlic yogurt. Combine the diced mango and avocado with the remaining lime juice and coriander.
Remove the empanadas from the oven when they are a golden brown and serve!

I hope that you enjoyed this recipe! Please let me know in the comments what you think and do not forget to subscribe or follow my Instagram for more recipes from me! The links to do both can be found in the side bar >>>.