RECIPES
KITCHEN CALLING As the granddaughter of butcher Louis Mann, Sarah Mann Yeager has mastered meat and poultry recipes, but also excels at veggie ones. Here she parcels both options for Purim
DON’T SAY ‘NADA’ TO AN EMPANADA!
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Why not try something a little different for this year’s fancy dress chag? It may be miserable outside, but you can put on a costume, turn up the heat and preserve a festive glow with something warming and simple from South America. Empanadas, delicious crispy parcels of meat, fish or vegetables, are eaten all across both Latin America and Spain and make a superb starter, a great addition to a buffet supper or finger food for parties. I have given the recipe for
a meaty version, but you can replace the meat with soya mince or even some drained tinned kidney or cannellini beans. Usually semi-circular in shape, there is no reason why they cannot be made into triangles to given them an authentic Purim twist. They can be scaled up and made into main meal size, and if you simply cannot bear the thought of frying them, just give these tasty treats a slick brush of egg wash and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 12-25 minutes depending on the size.
INGREDIENTS
MAKES 12- 16 SMALL Sauté the onion and green pepper in the olive oil until softened and then add the garlic. Add the mince and fry until browned, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon or a meaty potato masher. Stir in the seasonings, crumbled stock cube, tomatoes, wine and olives and simmer uncovered until all the liquid has evaporated. Adjust the seasoning and allow the mixture to cool. Thaw the pastry and cut it into squares, the size is up to you. I like a 12cm square or circle as it is a good two-bite size for finger food. Place a spoonful of meat mix in the centre of the square, wet the edge of the pastry and fold over to form a triangle shape 24 FOOD FOR YOUR TABLE jewishnews.co.uk
45ml olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 small green pepper, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed 500g beef, chicken or turkey mince ½ tsp ground black pepper 1 fresh chilli, chopped (optional) ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried ½ tsp chilli powder 1 beef or chicken stock cube 2 tomatoes skinned and finely chopped 3 tbsps red wine 12 pitted mixed olives, sliced 1-2 packs frozen puff pastry Poppy seeds for garnish
or in the centre of the circle, dampen the edges and fold up the outside edges to form sealed hamentashen shapes. You can make a fancy crimped edge or use a fork to press a pattern into the sealed edge. Pop the empanadas into the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up so they are easier to handle and then deep fry them at around 170ºC to 180ºC until golden-brown and puffed up; five to eight minutes depending on size, or brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake as described above. Empanadas can be made ahead and then open frozen on a tray before sealing into labelled bags.