Avocado Dough Empanadas

And a spring recipe roundup!

May 03, 2024

In case you missed it, back in March, Jamie Oliver posted an Instagram reel featuring a springy quiche with an avocado dough pastry (click below to watch).

jamieoliver

A post shared by @jamieoliver

I’m not a vegan cook or eater, but I am a recipe developer who tries to think outside the box, so I was slapping my head, saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I immediately had to try it.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Jamie’s, but the dough left a bit to be desired in my opinion. It looked beautiful, but the taste and texture just wasn't there for me. He called for self-raising flour, which it doesn't really need. I don’t keep it on hand, so I calculated how much baking powder that would be, then slashed it by a third. It gave the bottom of the quiche a thick, spongy texture. The dough needed more flavor, too. It also needed more fat. I’d love to tell you that avocado is a good substitute for butter — or even vegan butter — in a pastry dough, but on its own, it just wasn't. Avocados are only about 15 percent fat, so you can see the problem. Lastly, I figured if you are going to make a vegan dough, it should have a vegan filling.

I was still so intrigued by the idea that I wanted to see if I could improve upon it. I knew it would need some fattier fat, so I used plant butter. I suppose you could also try olive oil. So it’s about half avocado and half plant butter. I also added some nutritional yeast for flavor. That idea came from one of the many commenters on the post I shared first recreating the avocado dough (click below to view it).

susanspungen

A post shared by @susanspungen

I also thought that this dough would be best as a container for a creamy filling, so I immediately imagined an empanada with an easy filling that isn't much more complicated than opening a few cans (so unlike me, ha!).

Though these are vegan, you don’t have to be vegan to like them! They are a handy snack or lunch that keeps well in the fridge or can be an on-the-go meal. But my vegan subscribers, I’m thinking of you!

PS: I hope you have a scale (like I’ve been encouraging you to buy for years!), because this dough recipe is in grams only!

Spring Recipe Roundup

A few seasonal gems from the Susanality archives

It’s Time to Plant Your Culinary Herb Garden

This first one — which is actually more of a guide than a recipe — is very timely. You should be getting ready to plant your herbs NOW to boost your cooking (and styling) all summer long.

Spring Onion Soup

Sometimes we jump the gun on spring produce. It depends where you live, of course, but in the Northeast, it’s still mostly alliums, and this soup is loaded with them. It’s also still soup season here!

Rhubarb Galette

Any day now, local rhubarb will be around. Restaurants in New York all seem to have plenty of it, but I’d been having trouble tracking any down until I found it in H Mart! While you wait, you can read through this recipe and even make the dough. When rhubarb shows up, you’ll be ready to make this gorgeous galette.

Shaved Asparagus Salad

I know that asparagus is in season in many parts of the country — I even found it at my local farm stand the other day! Here’s a salad for you to enjoy the first true harbinger of spring.

Triple Layer Frittata

This layered frittata is infinitely adaptable and perfect for feeding a small crowd for brunch — like for a Mother’s Day gathering, if you’re hosting next weekend. There aren’t that many ways to make eggs for a crowd ahead of time, but this is one! And a delicious one at that.

Speaking of… are you shopping for a Mother’s Day gift? Susanality makes for an excellent gift that won’t just add to her “stuff!” You can go ahead and order a gift subscription now and schedule it to land in her inbox the morning of May 12th.

Give a gift subscription

Avocado Dough Empanadas

Makes 8

I love the convenience — and even the creamier texture — of canned beans sometimes, but they can be salty. Here, with the addition of other salty ingredients, I think it’s important to use unsalted beans, and then season to taste if more is needed.

For the filling:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
Pinch of kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 (15.5 ounce) can unsalted pinto beans
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies (or Hatch chilies), including liquid
3 tablespoons red chili sauce OR 1 tablespoon tomato paste and sriracha to taste
Vegan shredded cheese (about 8 tablespoons)

For the dough:

400 g all-purpose flour
100 g ripe Hass avocado
125 g plant butter
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
Big pinch of cayenne
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, season with a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, for 7 to 8 minutes, until turning translucent.
Add beans and green chilies. Stir to combine and add the red chili sauce or the tomato paste and sriracha. Cook over medium-high heat until quite thickened, mashing some of the beans with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Combine flour, avocado, plant butter, salt, nutritional yeast, and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until evenly combined. You're not trying to leave chunks as you would with a butter dough. Dribble the water through the feed tube with the machine running until it comes together. Use 4 tablespoons at first, only adding the 5th if it’s too crumbly to come together.
Form into a disk on top of a sheet of plastic wrap, and wrap tightly. Chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400℉. Divide the dough into 8 roughly equal pieces and form each into a ball. Roll out a dough circle, trying to keep it round, until it is about 7 inches in diameter. Use a 7-inch plate and a pastry wheel to trim it into a perfect circle.
Place about 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the bean filling on one side of the dough circle. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Dip your finger in water and run it around one half of the edge. Fold it over, and use a floured fork to crimp all the way around. I like to trim the edge again with my pastry wheel to neaten it up.
Transfer to one of two parchment-lined sheet pans, and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

NOTE: If you want to make 4 now and 4 later, roll all of the dough circles out, layer them with wax or parchment paper, slip them into a zip-top bag, and freeze. You can also freeze the bean filling. Remember that the dough will brown, just like an avocado does, so don’t store it in the fridge.