These crispy pastry empanadas are filled with a delicious combination of tuna, creamy goat’s milk cheese, olives, and toasted pine nuts. Perfect for a snack or make them bigger for a light meal. YUM!
(Serves 4 as a light meal or 8 as a snack/starter)
Pastry
200 g butter
500 ml (260 g) cake flour
2 ml salt
Approximately 40 ml ice cold water
Filling
20 ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tins tuna in oil, drained
100 g goat’s milk cheese
90 g pimento-stuffed olives, chopped OR pitted green olives, chopped
80 ml pine nuts, toasted
40 ml chopped capers
5 ml paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 30 ml milk)
Pastry Method
Mix the dry ingredients and butter together in a food processor and pulse to rub the butter into the dry ingredients
Add the liquid a little at a time while pulsing – just until the pastry comes together
Remove from food processor and wrap in cling wrap. Rest for 30 minutes in the fridge and make the filling
Filling Method
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes or until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Using a fork, mash the tuna with the onion, garlic, goat cheese, pimento-stuffed olives, pine nuts, capers, paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to 3mm thickness. Using a 8cm cookie cutter, cut out as many dough circles as the dough will allow, re-rolling the dough if necessary
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the filing into the centre of each dough round, then brush the edges with a little egg wash. Fold the dough over the mixture to form a crescent. Pinch the edges of the crescent to seal the dough closed. Use the back of a fork to further press the edges of the dough together. Place on greased baking sheet.
Brush with egg wash
Bake at 180°C until golden brown and cooked
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