Name: Sweet potato and cheddar empanadas with coriander salsa
Ingredients: 250g plain flour; 1½ tsp caster sugar; 200g unsalted butter, cut into 1 ½ cm cubes, fridge-cold; 75ml ice-cold water; 1 tsp lime juice; 15g coriander, leaves and stalks finely chopped; ¼ small red onion, peeled and finely chopped (30g); 60ml lime juice; ½ jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and all; 2 small sweet potatoes (300g), peeled, cut into 2cm cubes; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp ground allspice; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 large green pepper, deseeded, cut into 1½ cm cubes (170g); 60g spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced; 120g cheddar cheese, grated; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 egg, whisked; 2 tsp nigella seeds; fine sea salt

Sweet potato and cheddar empanadas with coriander salsa

Starter Weekend project

Makes 12 empanadas

Prep 20 in

Cook 1 hr

Rest 2-3 hr

These empanadas are a little twist on the classic South American dish. They are extremely moreish and fun to make. Get ahead by making the dough the night before and allowing it to rest in the fridge. The salsa and empanada fillings can also be done in advance. Eat hot or at room temperature, both are good!

Ingredients

EMPANADA DOUGH
250g	plain flour
1½ tsp	caster sugar
200g	unsalted butter, cut into 1 ½ cm cubes, fridge-cold
75ml	ice-cold water
1 tsp	lime juice
SALSA
15g	coriander, leaves and stalks finely chopped
¼	small red onion, peeled and finely chopped (30g)
60ml	lime juice
½	jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and all
FILLING
2	small sweet potatoes (300g), peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
1 tbsp	olive oil
1 tsp	cumin seeds
½ tsp	ground allspice
½ tsp	ground cinnamon
1	large green pepper, deseeded, cut into 1½ cm cubes (170g)
60g	spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
120g	cheddar cheese, grated
1 tbsp	lime juice
1	egg, whisked
2 tsp	nigella seeds
	fine sea salt

Method

To make the dough, place the flour, sugar, ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times until the butter is roughly the size of peas. Pour in the water and lime juice and pulse a few times more until the dough is starting to come together; it will look like wet crumbs. Empty the contents of the dough onto a clean work surface and quickly bring it together with your hands to form a cohesive dough. Shape into a round, wrap in reusable plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until cold and firm to touch.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 190C.
In a small bowl, mix together the salsa ingredients with ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt and leave to marinate in the fridge.
Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potato, oil, spices and ½ tsp salt. Transfer the mixture to a parchment lined baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. Put the green peppers into the same mixing bowl, stirring to absorb the residual oil and spices. After 10 minutes, add the peppers to the sweet potato tray and roast for 10 more minutes until the vegetables have softened and cooked through. Transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside to cool in the fridge.
Meanwhile, take the dough out of the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Flour the dough and use a floured rolling pin to roll it out to a 35-40 cm circle, 2mm thick. Stamp out 12 circles using a round pastry cutter (or bowl) that is 12cm in diameter, bringing the scraps of pastry together and re-rolling until you have 12 pastry discs. If the dough gets too soft to handle, put it back into the fridge to firm up. Transfer to a large parchment lined tray and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To the sweet potato mixture, add the spring onions, cheddar and lime juice, and bring together with your hands, squeezing slightly to bring the mixture together until very lightly mashed but still quite chunky.
Once the pastry has firmed up, place 35 grams of the sweet potato mixture in the middle of each disc. Brush the beaten egg around the outer edge, then fold the other side. Use your finger to pinch and seal tightly. If the pastry becomes too soft, put it back in the fridge to firm up. Refrigerate the shaped empanadas for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile turn your oven back on to 200C.
Once the pastry has cooled, use a fork to decoratively seal the empanada edges. Use the remaining beaten egg to brush the tops, then sprinkle with the nigella seeds. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with the salsa.