This was chosen as our favourite “Freeze-Ahead Recipe” from our cookery challenge entries. The author, Helen W, said of her recipe “I make up batches of these pasties for my son, who is vegan, and he loves them!”
Ingredients
For the pasties
- 400g sweet potato
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 small can refried beans
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 500g ready-made vegan puff pastry
- 2 tbsp soya flour mixed with 4 tbsp soya milk or water for brushing
To serve
- A small pot of hot chilli sauce
- Handful mixed rocket, watercress and spinach leaves
- A couple of cherry tomatoes on the vine
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
- To cook the sweet potato, roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Make sure to prick the skin before cooking. Cook until it is soft enough to be mashed, but not too soggy. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a small frying pan. Gently fry the onion until soft.
- Add the refried beans, herbs, chilli and tomato purée to the onion and heat through briefly for about a minute.
- Lightly break down the cooked sweet potato with a fork, add to the pan and mix thoroughly. Leave to cool slightly.
- Roll the pastry out approximately 3mm thick and cut into circles 12cm in diameter with a pastry cutter or knife. Put a good heaped tablespoon of the mixture on the pastry.
- Brush the pastry with soya flour mixture then fold over. Press the edges down. You can freeze the pasties uncooked at this point. Defrost thoroughly before baking.
- Brush the top with the soya flour mixture or water, and bake in the oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops of the pasties have started to brown.
- Serve with the small pot of chilli sauce, mixed leaves and cherry tomatoes on the vine.
