Bean and pepper empanadas (V)

A family member was kind enough to send me a link to a recipe from the Telegraph that he thought I might find interesting. As ever, I've changed it a bit from the original. They are nice warm from the oven (though watch out for a burned mouth, they are HOT inside when they come straight from the oven). I can also confirm that they are very good cold the next day.

If it's wild garlic season, try stirring a handful of finely chopped leaves into the filling as it is cooling, for an extra garlicky kick.

You will probably find you have more filling here than you need.

Makes 14 small-to-medium empanadas

For the pastry

150g plain flour

100g wholemeal flour

80g butter

80g cheddar cheese, grated

1 egg, beaten

A sprig of thyme, leaves only

a small splash of milk

For the filling

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tin of beans, drained (I used cannellini beans, but large white beans or speckled borlotti beans are just as good)

2 tbsp tomato purée

2 grilled peppers, diced

a pinch of ground cumin

50ml red wine

olive oil

A sprig of thyme, leaves only

Rub the butter into the flour along with a pinch of salt. Add the cheese and the thyme. Reserve a tiny bit of the beaten egg for later, then add the rest to the mixture and bring together into a soft dough, adding a small splash of milk if necessary. (If your egg is very large, you may not need any milk at all.)

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and refrigerate until ready to use, for at least half an hour.

For the filling, gently fry the onions in a little olive oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic, peppers, cumin, thyme, beans and tomato purée and stir thoroughly, mashing the beans roughly into the mixture with the back of a fork. Add the wine and a little water, mix in and simmer for about five minutes. You are after a thick slop, rather than a liquid.

Leave the filling to cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into rounds of about 10cm. Put a small dollop of the filling on each circle and wrap the pastry around it, squeezing together well and crimping at the edges, to make little half-moon shaped pastries. Place them on a baking tray, brush with the remaining egg and bake for about 15 minutes, until nicely browned.

Eat hot (with caution) or once cooled, store in an airtight container to eat cold the next day.