Lunchbox Bakes - Empanadas

Here’s something a little bit different to try. These Empanadas made a great afternoon snack / pre dinner nibble in my house!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
½ cup marinated chargrilled capsicum, drained, chopped
125g corn kernels (defrost first if using frozen ones)
¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped (you can use kidney beans if you prefer)
1 cup grated tasty cheese
2 cups plain flour
40g butter, melted
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
Lemon wedges, to serve

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place two eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes before draining them and refreshing under cold water. Peel the egg shells off and chop up the eggs.

Combine the egg, capsicum, corn, olives and cheese in a medium sized bowl. Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl.

Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the butter, ½ a cup of cold water, whisked egg and vinegar into the swell. Whisk together with the flour using a fork. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth dough (check out our Pizza Making video to see how to do this). Roll out to form a 45 x 35 cm rectangle.

Using an 8cm round pastry cutter, cut the dough into circles. Top each pastry circle with a tablespoon of the filling. Fold the circle in half over the mixture, then use a fork to press the edges together. Place on the prepared baking tray.

Brush the tops of the empanadas with milk. Sprinkle the cumin seeds over the top. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Serve the empanadas with lemon wedges.

For more delicious lunchbox bakes recipes and to find out how you can participate in this feature, check out our Lunchbox Bakes page.