Butternut Squash Empanadas by Melanie Booth

Recipe by Melanie Booth

This recipe was submitted by Melanie Booth as part of The Big Lunch Recipe Search.

“I invented this recipe during lockdown! During covid, as well as online teaching, I started growing veg. When the lockdowns ended, I walked to work, and (socially distanced!), got talking to a neighbour about gardening. He spoke about growing chillies, I about growing squash. We did a little trade, a homegrown squash for fresh chillies! Then, my cousin married a lovely Argentinian man. He told me about Empanadas, a national Argentinian dish, and this recipe was born!”

Ingredients

Serves 12 (Makes 34 x empanadas- 2 or 3 each)

Filling:

2 tbsp oil
800g peeled, finely diced butternut squash
1 tbsp fresh oregano (chopped), or 1 tsp dried
1 x white onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 x red chillies, finely chopped (keep seeds in if you like it hot! Remove them if you want it milder)
1 large chunk root ginger, peeled and diced
1/2tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sugar
200ml Vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Pastry:

400g plain flour
100g vegetable suet
100g butter, diced fine
1/2 tsp salt
180ml cold water (more if mix is a bit dry)
1 x egg (beaten, to brush on top)

Method

Step 1

In oil, fry squash, onion, ginger, garlic salt and pepper, for 10 mins, whilst stirring. Then, add oregano, chilli, garam masala and paprika, stir to coat.

Step 2

Add stock, cook for 8 minutes, whilst stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 3

To make the pastry, rub suet, butter and flour into fine crumbs. Add water, and bring pastry together. Rest pastry in fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Roll the pastry out thinly and then cut into 8cm rounds.

Step 5

Put 2 teaspoons of filling in each round, wet the edges and crimp together. Bake on lined trays for 20 minutes.

Three women carrying food to a Big Lunch

The Big Lunch Recipe Search!

This recipe is part of the Big Lunch Recipe Search Cookbook! We teamed up with celebrity chefs Briony May Williams, Dame Prue Leith and Ainsley Harriott to run The Big Lunch Recipe Search – to uncover the UK’s favourite shareable recipes that inspire us all to come together for The Big Lunch on 7 – 8 June. See more of the finalists in our new Big Lunch Recipe Search Cookbook, showcasing fantastic dishes from across the UK for you to try your hand at this summer!

View the cookbook