Shrimp and chicken empañadas

MakeS 10–12

Ingredients:

7 tbsp butter

juice of I lemon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 small skinless boneless chicken breast half, about 4¼oz (125g), coarsely chopped

4 ¼oz (125g) cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp dry (fino) sherry

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil

Method:

1 Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the lemon juice and ⅓ cup water. Add the flour and salt and stir well to make a paste. Knead well on a floured work surface, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

2 Meanwhile, mince the chicken and the shrimp separately in a food processor, pulsing the machine on and off until very finely chopped. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until white throughout. Add the sherry, garlic, minced shrimp, tomato purée, cayenne, and parsley and season well with salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes, then allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, on a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to ¼in (5mm) thick. Using the biscuit cutter, cut out 10–12 circles of pastry. Place 1 tbsp of the chicken and prawn mixture in the middle of each, and fold in half. Wet the edges a little with some cold water, then crimp together with your fingers to seal.

4 Heat the oil in a deep-sided frying pan until hot. Working in batches, fry the empañadas over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 3–5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with aïoli and a salad.

Shrimp and chicken empañadas