Portuguese Azevias

Sweet potato or sweet chickpea filling

Peel two medium-size sweet potatoes and cut in pieces or 7 oz. (200g) of chickpeas. Boil with just enough water to cover. When the potatoes are cooked or the chickpeas are warmed through, purée them. Add six tablespoons of sugar (brown if you like), lemon skin (from half a lemon), and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix well and cook over low heat for five minutes. Let cool before using.

For added flavor, place five oz. (150g) of almonds on a baking tray, bake until brown, then grind them and add them to the dough.

Dough

• 2 cups of self-rising flour
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Juice of one orange
• 3 tablespoons of brandy
• 3 tablespoons of water

Add ingredients in the exact order given above. It works best to slightly melt the butter. Mix well until it makes a consistent dough. Let rest for 30-60 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Flour a rolling pin and use to roll out the dough very thinly. Use the rim of a glass or a pastry cutter to excise rounds from the pastry (re-roll the remaining scraps and cut more rounds from them).

Place a teaspoon (or a tablespoon) of the filling on one-half of the pastry then fold over and seal to form half-moons. Pierce the top with the tines of a fork then either deep-fry or bake the pockets until golden brown and cooked through.

Dust with sugar and serve.