Butternut empanadas
15
Crispy empanadas filled with roasted butternut squash, ginger, grated cheese, green chilli and hazelnuts.
---
Wheat flour|500|g
Water|150|ml
Butter|100|g
Salt|0.5|tsp|pastry base

Butternut squash|1000|g|peeled, diced
Olive oil|3|tbsp
Fleur de sel|2|tsp
Fresh ginger|40|g|finely chopped
Grated cheese|125|g|Emmental, mozzarella or plant-based
Green chilli|2|pcs|finely chopped
Black pepper|1|tsp
Hazelnuts|22|pcs|1 to 2 per empanada
---
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into roughly 1 cm dice.
Toss the butternut with the oil and fleur de sel, spread on a tray and roast 20–25 min until tender and lightly coloured. Let cool slightly.
In a bowl, mix the roasted butternut, finely chopped ginger, grated cheese, green chilli and pepper. Taste and adjust if needed.

Heat the water and butter in a saucepan until the butter is fully melted, then turn off the heat.
Let the mixture cool to about 45 °C (warm to the touch, not hot).
Pour the warm mixture over the flour and salt, knead until you have a ball of dough.
Knead on the work surface until smooth and no longer sticky.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rest at room temperature.

Roll out the dough and cut 15 circles.
In the centre of each circle: place a portion of butternut filling then 1 to 2 hazelnuts.
Moisten the edges, fold into a half-moon and pinch firmly to seal.
Bake the empanadas 20 min at 200 °C until golden and crispy.
---
The water-butter mixture must be warm (about 45 °C) so it doesn't cook the flour.
Don't overfill to avoid the filling leaking; seal the edges well.
Hazelnuts can be whole or roughly chopped to taste.
---
empanada
savoury
butternut
hazelnut
oven
---
Easy
Optional
No
By hand ~ cutlery
Medium
Mild
Medium
Crust softens when cool
Soft filling
