Pastry

The pastry for these empanadas is made from a bread dough using sourdough starter.

25g Sourdough starter
200mls of water
350g of wholewheat flour
1 tablespoon of coconut powder (optional)
1/8 teaspoon of turmeric
3/4 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of olive oil

Filling
400g cooked chickpeas
1 onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
250g of soy curls (softened in water before weighing)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of chopped greens (swiss chard, or kale, or parsley)

Method

Make the dough by mixing the starter with the flour and water and set it aside for 2 hours to begin to bubble. Then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the rest of the ingredients and fold and stretch the dough to bring it all together. Wait 30 minutes and then do another fold and stretch. Then cover and leave to proof for an hour or two until doubled in size.

For the filling, cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Crush the chick peas with a fork to break some of them apart, leaving some whole. Add the rest of the ingredients and the spices to the pan and cook for another few minutes.

When you are ready to make the empanadas, pre-heat the oven to 400F. Then divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle about 5 inches wide. Spoon about 40g of filling into the middle of each dough circle. Fold the dough over to make a semi-circle, press the edges together and seal with a fork. Place on baking trays and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.