 |
| Photo credits: Tobin Curran, thanks Tobin!! |
Empanada
1 head of garlic
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion (1/4 to 1/3 cup) finely diced
15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp dried sage
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Fontinella cheese (Cheddar or Parmesan would also work well)
Empanada dough or pizza dough*
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roast the head of garlic (easy directions for this online). Once the garlic is roasted, remove the garlic cloves to a bowl and mash with a fork until the garlic is a smooth paste.
2. Cook the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree and continue to cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until the mixture is the consistency of thick mashed potatoes (approximately 15 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Transfer the pumpkin mixture to another bowl. Add the sage, pepper, salt and roasted garlic and stir until combined. Stir in cheese and mix until combined.
4. Now its time to fill your dough! This is the fun part. Have a baking sheet (or 2) ready by either greasing it with some oil or laying down parchment paper. If you're using the empanada wrappers, simply take a wrapper, fill it with approximately 1.5 TBSP of the pumpkin mixture, fold over and press the edges together to seal closed. If you're using pizza dough, break off a piece of dough approximately 2" long and 1" wide, press it with your hands until it's about 1/4 inch thick, fill it with approximately 1.5 TBSP, fold over and press edges together to seal closed. It's important to try to not leave air bubbles in the center of your empanada. Spray or brush the empanada's with a little oil and put in the 400 degree oven.
5. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown. Some of them might leak a little filling out the side but hey, it still tastes good! Serve warm with onion chutney (recipe follows).
*The first time I made these I used frozen empanada dough that were Goya brand. If your grocery store carries Goya products in the freezer section they will have these, they're called 'discos'. Make sure they are defrosted before you need them :) The second time I made these I used pizza dough that I purchased at the grocery store. Both ways turned out well so it all depends on what you can find!
Onion Chutney
1 large, sweet onion, finely diced
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp black pepper
Cook the onion in the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat until translucent. Add the vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and pepper and simmer. The chutney is ready when it has thickened to your liking, approximately 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
