Thomasina Miers’ recipe for turkey, pancetta and parsnip empanadas | Leftovers

MeWhy not look at leftovers in a different light? These are well-organized packages of beautifully seasoned ingredients that are prepared, cooked and ready, perfect for making something new when time and inspiration are running low. is a delight and premade filling for these empanadas. Whether you buy the pastries or make the dough from scratch, the joy here lies in the rich, glorious flavors of the fillings.

Turkey, pancetta and parsnip empanadas

Sage, allspice, pancetta, and garlic transform cooked turkey meat and leftover root vegetables into something special.

Preparation 20 min
Chill 1 hour
cooking 55 minutes
make 10-12 empanadas

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onionspeeled and finely diced
150g pancetta,cube
1 large carrotpeel and cut into 1cm squares
1 large parsnippeel and cut into 1cm squares
2 large cloves of garlicpeeled and sliced
1 heaping teaspoon allspice
a pinch of cloves
200ml white wine, or stock
12 sage leavesfinely sliced
300g leftover roasted turkeyfinely chopped
1 egglightly beaten

for pastry
360g cake flourplus an addition for rolling (white spelled also works brilliantly here)
½ teaspoon sea salt
170g chilled unsalted buttercut into cubes
60g cold lardcut into cubes

serve
Smokey Harissaor other chili flavors
greek yogurt

Make the pastry first – the ingredients need to be as cold as possible for a light and crumbly result. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and lard and rub them quickly into the flour until half are crumbs and half are still small crumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of cold water, knead quickly until combined, flatten into a coarse disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Then the filling: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil when hot, and reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and pancetta and simmer for 5 minutes, until the pancetta fat begins to render. Add carrots, parsnips, garlic and spices and simmer for 7-8 minutes, until onions are soft and vegetables are lightly colored. Add the wine, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and turkey to taste and check the seasoning before chilling in the refrigerator. Line two trays with parchment paper or silicone.

Remove pastry and filling from refrigerator and heat oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas. Cut into circles with a 10cm or 12cm round cutter and top each generously with 1 tablespoon of filling. Fold them into half moons and use a little water to seal them closed and crimp the edges with a fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Place a few tablespoons of harissa in a bowl of yogurt and serve this with warm empanadas.

simple flex
For vegetarians, replace the lard with an equal amount of butter, and use finely chopped bean sprouts and chestnuts instead of pancetta and turkey meat.