Name: Argentine Christmas Eve Empanadas (Empanadas de Vigilia)
Yield: Makes eight 18 cm empanadas
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 30 g anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, finely chopped; 1½ teaspoons hot Spanish paprika (pimentón); Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 900 g baby spinach, rinsed and drained, or 570 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped; Egg wash: 1 egg whisked with a Pinch of salt; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; 1 batch Sour Cream Dough, chilled; 70 g finely sliced spring onions (the white part and half the green); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation info

Makes
eight
18 cm empanadas

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Pastry Perfection

By Nick Malgieri

Published 2014

About

These spinach empanadas make a delicious alternative to the typical meat-laden ones and are traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve, a day of abstinence from meat in Catholic countries. These are usually deep-fried, but I decided to bake them - it’s easier, and they turn out much less rich.

Ingredients

900 g baby spinach, rinsed and drained, or 570 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped
3

Method

Put the fresh spinach with the rinse water still clinging to it in a large casserole with a lid. Place over a medium heat, cover and steam for a few minutes until it reduces in volume. Uncover and stirring occasionally, cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Drain, cool and chop the spinach.
Put the oil and spring onions into a large saucepan over a medium heat. Once the