EMPANADAS
These delicious pastry parcels are fantastic to hand round at barbecues and parties. Serve with any smoky and hot sauce or relish for dipping.
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ white onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile/chilli, finely diced
8 oz./225 g ground/minced beef
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 teaspoons dried oregano
¼ cup/60 ml Provençal Olive Relish (seepage 165)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ cup/125 ml red wine
1 lb./450 g shortcrust pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and cracked black pepper
all-purpose/plain flour, for dusting
hot sauce or relish, to serve
a 3½ -inch/9-cm cookie cutter
a baking sheet lined with baking parchment
MAKES 28
Preheat the oven to 425°F (210°C) Gas 7.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet/frying pan over medium–high heat, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the beef, marjoram, oregano, Provençal Olive Relish, and paprika, and stir. Pour in the wine and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, remove the pan from the heat, and set aside to cool.
Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible on a lightly floured surface, and cut rounds of pastry with the cookie cutter. Gather the leftover pastry and repeat until all the pastry is used up. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each round. Fold over and seal the edges with a fork. Place on the baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with a hot sauce or relish of your choice.
RILLETTES
WITH GARDEN PATCH PICKLES
Rillettes are not just for the cold winter months or the holidays. A great year-round pantry staple for easy entertaining, just serve with pickles, crusty bread, and wine. The meat is braised in the oven for a deep flavor.
2 lb./900 g pork belly, skin off
1 lb./450 g pork shoulder, skin off
¼ cup/60 ml brandy
4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
1 tablespoon green peppercorns
4 bay leaves, plus extra to garnish
1 rosemary sprig
6 thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon allspice
peel from 1 small orange
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra to taste
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
melted butter, to seal
TO SERVE
Garden Patch Pickles (seepage 166)
sliced ciabatta bread
5-quart/5.5-litre cast-iron pan with a tight-fitting lid
4 individual serving dishes or sterilized glass jars with airtight lids
SERVES 4
Preheat the oven to 325