Azevias de Batata Doce (Sweet Potato Pockets) is a traditional Portuguese recipe (from the Algarve) for a classic dessert of pastry pockets filled with a sweet potato, almond and lemon zest filling that can be baked or fried and is typically served at Christmas. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Portuguese version of: Sweet Potato Pockets (Azevias de Batata Doce).
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This is a classic Portuguese Christmas dish for a dessert of pastry pockets stuffed with a sweet potato and lemon filling.
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
250g plain flour
75g cold lard or butter
1 egg
pinch of salt
a little cold water to bind the dough
For the Filling:
250g cooked sweet potato (boiled in their skins, peeled and diced)
150g sugar
freshly-grated zest of 1 lemon
pinch of cinnamon
1 egg yolk
75g ground almonds
icing sugar, to dust
Method:
Begin by cooking the sweet potato. When done make the pastry. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Dice the lard (or butter) and rub into the flour mix with your fingertips to form a dough. Add the egg and stir to mix then add just enough water (if needed) to bring the ingredients together as a dough. Cover in clingfilm (plastic wrap) then chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Now turn to the filling. Turn the cooked sweet potato into a food processor then add the lemon zest, sugar, cinnamon, egg yolks and ground almonds. Pulse until smooth (if necessary add a little water) then turn the mixture into a bowl.
Remove the dough from 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.
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