Experimental cooking

Hi everyone!

Douglas and I watched Thomasina Miers recent TV series - Mexican Food made Simple, then got the book!

Tonight, I decided to make Empanadas and a roast tomato and chilli salsa to go with them.

Here are the recipies!

The Empanadas

3 Tablespoons of Mayo

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (oops I put in a tablespoon and used wholegrain mustard)

1 Green Chilli

A couple of splashes of tobasco (I used Chipotle, a bit milder)

8 oz graded cheddar

1 packet of puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Salt and Pepper

The Salsa

(these quantities make more than you need.. you could half this much quite easily)

4 plum tomatoes (we didnt have plum so I used normal ones)

2 cloves garlic

1 large jalapeno chilli (I used a red chilli as we didnt have any jalapenos)

1 large tablespoon of chopped coriander (I missed this out as D does no

t like it fresh)

1/2 a white onion finely chopped then rinsed under cold water (I would suggest frying it, or use spring onions. The raw onion was too...... raw!)

Juice of 1/2 a line (we stuck lemon juice in, as thats what we had)

a pinch of sea salt.

How to do it!

Put the oven on to 200'C, 400/F or Gas 4.

Grate the cheese, mix it into the mayo and mustard, finely chopped chilli and mustard.

Roll out the pastry and cut into circles of about 10cm diameter.

I cut round a large ramekin dish which was fine.

Get trays ready with greaseproof or baking paper on.

Put about a tablespoon of mix in the middle of each circle

Brush egg round the edges and fold over into mini pasties.

Brush the top of each parcel with egg to make them look shiny when cooked.

Cook them for about half an hour!

Whilst your empanadas are cooking...

Get a heavy bottomed frying pan and heat it up (dry)

roast the chilli, tomatoes and garlic by turning them now and then in the fryi

ng pan. They got a bit burnt on the outside, but thats how they should look! Making tomatoes and chilli stay on the bit you want to cook is also rather hard, either hold them in the right place, or prop them up with the garlic :-D

Peel the garlic, and take the skin off the tomato if you can, and bash them and the chilli (oh, take the top off it) in your pestle and mortar.

The first time we made this, D put it into the blender, and althoug

h it tasted lovely, it was rather watery. Bashing it in the pestle and mortar gives a rougher texture that is nicer.

Put the finished salsa in the fridge whilst you are waiting for your baked cheesy goods!

PS The following photo is sideways :-( I cannot convince Blogger to turn it round, even though I have turned it round on my laptop. Grrr!

I hope you enjoyed the "In Progress" photos, here is the finished article!!

The empanadas tasted lovely, and the salsa, though a tiny bit too hot for my taste was gorgeous too!