Sweet potato and black bean empanadas topped with a fresh avocado salsa. So good! I tweaked a recipe I found here on Delicious. It’s perfect for a Mexican inspired brunch over the weekend with other small dishes on my blog like sweetcorn fritters, fish and plantain tacos.
Empanadas are eaten all over Latin America, baked or fried, they are a popular type of pastry filled with meat or vegetables. If you aren’t feeling this veggie option there are a lots of meaty alternatives like this beef & chorizo over on BBC Good Food.
Tropical treats aren’t just fruits or cakes. It can be comfort food with ingredients from hot and lush climates that just make you happy!
These empanadas can be made pretty quickly and the prep/chilling time is really what’s time consuming. Serve with avocado salsa and a sprinkle of feta and coriander leaves and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze any leftover filling or use for tacos and wraps.
Serves 4
Prep 30 mins + chilling time
Cook 60 mins
Total 90 mins
Ingredients
For the sweet potato and black bean filling
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1 cm chunks
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin black beans, rinsed and drained and roughly mashed
1 tsp chipotle chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 organic vegetable stock cube
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the pastry
75g butter, cubed
375g plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
240ml semi-skimmed milk, warmed gently
1 free-range large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
For the avocado salsa
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1 cm chunks
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 the juice of a lime
Handful coriander leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Make the sweet potato first. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and toss the sweet potato in 2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 mins or until the sweet potato slices easily with a knife. Leave aside to cool.
Heat 2 tbsp oil over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins. Add the chilli powder and cumin followed by tomato puree, black beans, stock cube and a little hot water stirring and mashing over a low heat until you have a chunky consistency.
Mix in the sweet potato well and leave to one side to cool down.
In a medium sized bowl put butter, flour, paprika, salt. Rub together with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add the warm milk and work the mixture with a dinner knife until all comes together in clumps.
Pat the mixture together to form a dough and knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a disc, wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 mins.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface (to the thickness of roughly a pound coin) and make circles using a small bowl as a guide.
Put 1- 1/2 tbsp of filling into the centre of each circle. Brush the pastry edge with water to help seal and use the back of a fork to close each pastry.
Place the empanadas on greaseproof paper and brush with the milk and egg mixture. Bake for 20 – 25 until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Cut the avocado into small chunks and mix with onion, cherry tomatoes, squeeze over fresh lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the empanadas with a little salsa and coriander leaves on top. Enjoy!
