Recipes: José Pizarro

SEAFOOD SALAD PINTXOS (pictured above)

Serves 8

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10-12 mins

2 tsp olive oil
500g octopus tentacles
8 large shell on king prawns
4 spring onions
100g fresh white crab meat
3 tbsp Hellmann’s with Olive Oil
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
16 slices crusty baguette or bread
1 clove garlic

Heat a griddle over a high heat. Lightly oil the octopus tentacles and sear them for a few minutes, turning once until they are just cooked. Slice into pieces and tip into a bowl.

Coat the prawns in a little oil and cook over a high heat until pink all over. Peel and roughly chop and place in the bowl with the octopus. Stir in the white crab meat and Hellmann’s with Olive Oil, and season. 

Oil the spring onions and griddle for a couple of minutes until softened and lightly charred, then finely slice and mix through the seafood.

Add the lemon juice to taste and stir in the paprika and flat leaf parsley.

Toast the slices of bread, rubbing one side with the garlic clove. Spoon the seafood mixture onto the toasts and serve.

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CHICKEN AND CHORIZO EMPANADAS

Makes 12

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes


Pastry
500g plain flour
1 tsp fine salt
200g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
75ml cold water
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Beaten egg, to glaze

Filling
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
100g raw cooking chorizo, diced
Splash of dry sherry
200g cooked chicken, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Hellmann’s with Olive Oil
125g pitted black and green olives, halved
Squeeze of lemon juice
Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

To make the pastry, tip the flour and salt into a bowl, and rub the cold butter into it with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Beat the egg with the cold water and vinegar and add to the bowl. Mix in quickly. Bring the ingredients together with your hands and knead very briefly to form a smooth dough. Shape into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chorizo and fry for a few more minutes until the chorizo is cooked and just starting to colour. Add the sherry and allow it to bubble for a minute, then tip into a bowl.

Mix through the cooked chicken, Hellmann’s with Olive Oil, and the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste and leave to cool completely.

Heat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, Gas mark 6

Divide the pastry into 12 even sized pieces and roll into balls. Roll out into a disc shape and use a cutter or small plate to cut into 16cm circles.

Spoon a dollop of the mixture into the centre of each pastry circle then brush the edges with a little water. Fold in half to enclose the filling in a semi circle and press the edges to seal and crimp with a fork.

Once all the empanadas are assembled, place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

Brush with beaten egg to glaze and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. 1

TIP
While you’re assembling each empanada, cover the remaining pastry circles with a lightly damp tea towel to stop them drying out.