Ingredients

• 1 x 300–400g/10½oz–14oz beef cheek
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• roughly chopped
• 1 carrot
• roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery
• roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 200ml/7fl oz red wine
• 400ml/14fl oz beef stock
• 350g/12oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175g/6oz salted butter
• chilled
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion
• roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• finely chopped
• 1 dried red chilli
• finely chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp capers
• drained
• 2 free-range eggs
• beaten
• 4 heads sweetcorn
• husk and silk removed
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
• 150g/5½oz cotija or feta cheese
• crumbled
• ½ garlic clove
• crushed
• 1 lime
• juice only
• 2 spring onions
• chopped
• 30g/1oz sliced jalapeños
• to serve

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 160C/180C Fan/Gas 3.
• To braise the beef cheek
• heat the oil in an oven-proof dish
• add the beef cheek and sear on all sides to seal. Remove from the pan and set aside
• Add the vegetables and the bay leaf and cook for 3–4 minutes until soft. Place the beef cheek back in the dish
• add the wine and cook until the liquid has reduced in volume by half. Add the stock
• season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 2–3 hours or until the meat falls off the cheek easily.
• For the empanadas
• blitz the flour
• baking powder and butter in a food processor
• adding a little water to bind. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and gently fry the onion
• garlic
• spices and tomato purée. Stir in the cooked beef cheek and capers. If the mixture is too dry
• add some cooking jus to loosen. Cook until hot through.
• To assemble the empanadas
• remove the pastry from the fridge
• and roll out to the thickness of a pound coin (3mm). Cut circles from the pastry
• using a 10cm/in saucer or pastry cutter. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Put 2 heaped teaspoons filling on one half of each pastry circle. Wet the edges of the pastry with a little water
• fold the non-filled half of each pastry over the filled half
• and crimp the edges or use a fork to seal. Brush with the egg
• place on the baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• heat a large griddle pan over a high heat and grill the sweetcorn
• turning occasionally
• until all sides are chargrilled and browned.
• Cut the kernels from the cob by holding the corn on its base and running a sharp knife down from top to bottom. Mix the kernels with the mayonnaise
• chipotle
• cotija
• garlic
• lime juice
• spring onions and jalapeños. Serve with the empanadas.