Happy Cinco de Mayo! And what better way to celebrate than with these brilliant Mexican-inspired recipes? Whether you’re looking for hearty empanadas or spicy veggie tacos, we have got you covered!
BEEF EMPANADAS, COOKING ON A BUDGET, THE BATCH LADY, SUZANNE MULHOLLAND
INGREDIENTS
1 small sweet potato (around 200g), peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
half a red onion
2 tsp frozen chopped garlic
250g minced beef
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 spring onions, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
2 sheets pre-rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the sweet potato chunks over, then transfer to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, until tender.
2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until soft.
3 Add the beef to the pan and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 8-10 minutes, until browned.
4 Add the tomato puree, ground cumin, paprika, a generous grinding of salt and pepper and a splash of water to the pan and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the spices to meld. Remove from the heat, stir through the spring onions, cooked sweet potato chunks and lime juice, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
5 While the filling is cooling, unroll the sheets of pastry on their paper backing and stamp out 10cm/4 inch rounds with a pastry cutter. Once you have stamped out as many rounds as possible, reroll the pastry scraps and stamp out as many more rounds as you can.
6 Put a tablespoon of filling in the centre of each round of pastry, brush round the edges with a little beaten egg, then bring the bottom edge of each pastry round up and over the filling to enclose it in a neat semi-circle shape. Press around the edges with a fork to seal, then brush the top of each empanada with a little more beaten egg.
7 Lay the empanadas on a foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to an oven preheated to 180°C /350°F /gas mark 4 to bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Serve 3-4 empanadas per person.
This recipe is from Cooking On a Budget by The Batch Lady, Suzanne Mulholland. Get your copy.
SPICY ‘SHROOM & LENTIL TACOS WITH FRESH SALSA, Feel Good Food by Joe Wicks
This veggie taco recipe is a taste sensation, especially with the charred pineapple salsa. The sauce is full of flavour from the spices and mushrooms, so you won’t miss the meat. I’ve added lentils to fill them out and bring some extra protein.
SERVES 4
600g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
pinch of salt
2 tbsp light olive oil
2 red onions, diced
100g (6 tbsp) tomato purée concentrate (tomato paste)
2 x 400g tins of lentils, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
2 tsp garlic granules or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes
2-3 tsp soy sauce, to taste
2 tbsp sriracha, or other hot sauce (optional)
Charred Pineapple and Tomato Salsa
300g frozen pineapple chunks
200g tomatoes (I use regular tomatoes, but you could use cherry tomatoes if you like)
juice of half a lemon or lime
handful of fresh coriander, chopped
1 shallot or half red onion, finely diced
pinch of salt
To Serve
8-10 small tortillas
100g feta cheese, crumbled (omit if vegan)
handful of fresh coriander, chopped
lime wedges
METHOD
1 Add the mushrooms to a large, dry frying pan with the salt, and cook over a medium heat until they’ve released their liquid and are starting to brown. Add the oil and onions and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and starting to caramelise.
2 Add the tomato purée and cook until it darkens, then mix in the drained lentils, cumin, paprika, garlic, chilli flakes, soy sauce and sriracha (if using). Stir until warmed through, then remove from the heat. Taste and add more soy sauce, if needed.
3 For the salsa, place the pineapple chunks in a dry frying pan or griddle pan. Cook over a high heat until the pineapple starts to char underneath, then flip the chunks and repeat on the other sides. Once charred all over, remove them from the pan to a chopping board and roughly chop into small pieces, then scrape into a bowl. Cut the tomatoes into small chunks and add to the bowl of pineapple. Stir in the lemon or lime juice, chopped coriander, shallot or onion and the salt.
4 Warm the tortillas according to the packet instructions.
5 Top each warmed tortilla with some of the spicy mushroom and lentil mixture and finish with pineapple salsa, crumbled feta (is using) and chopped coriander. Serve with lime wedges.
VARIATIONS
- If you don’t like lentils, feel free to replace them with your favourite tinned bean. Black beans or kidney beans are particularly good here.
- You can use fresh pineapple instead of the frozen chunks.
- If you don’t like pineapple, just leave it out and increase the quantity of tomatoes to 500g.
This recipe is from Feel Good Food by Joe Wicks. Order your copy now.
