Page title and description

Vegetarian mains
Broad bean empanadas with spinach, sheep's cheese and green sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 325g pack puff pastry
- 400g broad beans
- 300g baby spinach
- 100g soft sheep's cheese
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- olive oil
- nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 30g parsley
- 8 large mint leaves
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 courgette
- 50g mixed salad leaves
- salt and pepper
Method
Prep time:
40 min
PT40M
Cooking time:
20 min
PT20M
-
Step 1
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Dust a flat work surface and rolling pin with a flour and roll the pastry out until 2-3mm thick. Cut out 10 x 15cm circles. Pop the pastry circles back into the fridge while you make the filling. -
Step 2
Remove the broad beans from their pods. Fill a bowl with cold water. Blanch the spinach in the boiling water until just wilted (about 30 seconds). Remove to the cold water with a slotted spoon. When cooled, remove and squeeze as much water as you can from the leaves before roughly chopping them. -
Step 3
Blanch the broad beans in the same boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool in cold water. Take a few minutes to slip the beans from their skins. -
Step 4
Roughly chop the broad beans. Mix together with the spinach, sheep's cheese and half the lemon zest. Season with salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a little grated nutmeg, to taste. -
Step 5
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Lay the pastry circles out and pop a generous tablespoon of filling on each one. Beat the egg with a dash of water and brush the inside edge of each circle with the egg wash. Fold each circle over gently until the edges meet to form a classic semi-circle pasty shape. Press the edges together and crimp with the tines of a fork to seal. Space them evenly on a baking tray and brush each with the egg wash. Bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. -
Step 6
Meanwhile, pick the leaves from the parsley. Roughly chop them together with the mint and capers. Mix with enough olive oil to make a thick pesto-like sauce. Season with salt, pepper and a good dash of lemon juice. -
Step 7
Peel the courgettes into long, thin ribbons with a veg peeler. Dress with a little of the lemon juice and some olive oil. Toss the courgettes with the salad leaves and serve with the warm empanadas and green sauce.