A new take on Empanadas

So there I was. 6 pm and not a clue what to make for dinner, hungry, and facing a nearly barren pantry and refrigerator. Don't you love it when this happens? (I mean, really...I actually do...it's a challenge in resourcefulness and for some reason I've always gotten a kick out trying to be resourceful). I was out of all kinds of basics; I mean, there was no rice, no cous cous, no barley, no quinoa, no pasta, no nothin'. Not even a potato in sight. This lack of starch got me to thinkin' about doing something with pastry and since I'm pastry brave now I decided to try some type of empanada-ish thing. There was just one problem; I had nothing to go inside the empanadas. No chorizo, no beef, no hot peppers. What I did have was a couple of squash and some mushrooms, and this I figured, was as good a start as any.

The only problem that sometimes occurs when "flying by the seat of your pants" like this is that you can end up with a strange combination of dishes on the table. When my family sat down for dinner I informed them that they should just "think of this dinner as if it were a potluck...the slaw doesn't exactly go with the empanadas, but it's what we had". And it was true, the slaw didn't really go with the empanadas, but each dish was worthy of being made again. And again.

My mom was the one who came up with this slaw and it's officially the best slaw I've ever eaten. You really have to make it. It is SO fresh tasting! I made up a sundried tomato pesto to accompany the empanadas and it was a big hit too. (It would be great on any number of things).

Grape and Mango Slaw

• 1/2 head of a medium cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (use green tops only)
• a sprinkle of kosher salt (just a bit)
• about 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 6-8 dried mango slices (that have been rehydrated in boiling water until soft)

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.

Veggie Empanadas with Sundried Tomato Pesto

• 2 tbsp. extra light olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 12 oz. mushrooms, any variety you like
• 2 small yellow summer squash, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 2 small zuchinni squash, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 oz. feta cheese (half a block)
• 4 oz. neufchatel (or cream cheese)
• 1 egg, beaten (plus another for egg wash)
• 1 cup panko
• empanada dough (recipe below)
• sundried tomato pesto (recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sautee onions and mushrooms over med/low heat until getting nicely browned (this could take about 25 minutes or so). Add squash and zuchinni, turn heat up just a bit and continue cooking until veggies are done (about 5 minutes or so). Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, feta, neufchatel, beaten egg, and panko. Stir gently until just combined. See directions under Empanada Dough recipe for filling each circle of pastry with this filling. After filling, cutting slits in top, and brushing with egg wash, you will bake these at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

• 1 cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in boiling water for 5 minutes or until soft (don't use the ones in oil, but rather the dried tomatoes in a bag)
• 1/2 cup salted and roasted pistachios, shelled
• 1 large clove of garlic
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. pumpkin seed oil (this is a small amount, but important to the flavor)
• 1/2 cup extra light olive oil (important to use extra light so flavors don't compete)
• about 1 cup of water (can use the water that tomatoes were rehydrated in)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Puree all in a food processor until smooth. Serve with empanadas or any thing else; chicken, roasted veggies, etc.

Empanada Dough

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

In an electric stand mixer combine flour, salt, and shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal (roughly pea-sized). (May want to cover with a towel before turning mixer on so it doesn't get all over everything). In a seperate bowl, beat together egg, water, and vinegar. Add to flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated.

Put mixture out on a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, just enough to bring the dough together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use, at least one hour.

Roll dough out, and cut out circles of pastry that are about 5" in diameter (you can use a small plate and a table knife to do this). Fill each circle with a about 3-4 tbsp. of filling. Fold over so that you have a half-moon shape, and use a fork to seal the edges. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Repeat until all are finished. Cut a few slits in the top of each empanada, brush with a bit of egg wash, and bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.