“Barriga llena, corazón contento.” (Full stomach, happy heart) – Mexican proverb
I got this recipe from a friend of ours who gave us some of these empanadas, which she makes. She is an ovo-lacto-vegetarian and has modified the traditional meat filling with a mushroom-based one. They are quite delicious!
Mushroom Empanadas
Ingredients - dough
110 g butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
700 grams flour (and a little more of needed)
50 g butter for glazing
Ingredients – filling
450 g mixed fresh mushrooms
Olive oil for sautéing
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced capsicum
60 g grated hard cheese
200 g potatoes, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram
1 teaspoon dried epazote (can substitute with oregano)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika
Large pinch cayenne
Vegetable broth, as necessary
1/2 cup chopped Spring onions, white and green parts
1/4 cup chopped, pitted, green olives
2 boiled eggs, diced
Method
Make the dough: Put 2 cups boiling water, the butter and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir to melt butter and dissolve salt. Cool to room temperature. Gradually stir in flour with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Knead for a minute or two on a floured board, until firm and smooth. Add more flour if sticky. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for one hour.
Make the filling: Season chopped mushrooms generously with salt and pepper and set aside for 10 minutes. Heat three tablespoons olive oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and fry until nicely cooked, stirring throughout, about 5-10 minutes.
Turn heat down to medium and add onion and capsicum. Keep turning mixture with a spatula, as if cooking hash, until onion is softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, thyme, marjoram and epazote, stirring well to incorporate. (Add a little more oil to pan if mixture seems dry.) Season again with salt and pepper and let mixture fry for 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato paste, pimentón and cayenne, then a cup of broth. Turn heat to simmer, stirring well to incorporate any caramelised bits.
Cook for about 10 more minutes, until both meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce just coats them, juicy is what you want. Taste and adjust seasoning for full flavour (intensity will diminish upon cooling). Stir in spring onions and cheese, allowing to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Divide chilled dough into 30 g pieces and form into 5 cm diameter balls. Roll each piece into a 12 cm circle. Lay circles on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour.
Moisten outer edge of each round with water. Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the centre of each round, adding a little hard-cooked egg to each. Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Fold edge back and finish by pinching little pleats or crimping with a fork.
Heat oven to 190˚C. Place empanadas on an oiled baking sheet, about 3 cm apart. Brush tops lightly with melted butter and bake on top shelf of oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
I got this recipe from a friend of ours who gave us some of these empanadas, which she makes. She is an ovo-lacto-vegetarian and has modified the traditional meat filling with a mushroom-based one. They are quite delicious!
Mushroom Empanadas
Ingredients - dough
110 g butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
700 grams flour (and a little more of needed)
50 g butter for glazing
Ingredients – filling
450 g mixed fresh mushrooms
Olive oil for sautéing
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced capsicum
60 g grated hard cheese
200 g potatoes, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram
1 teaspoon dried epazote (can substitute with oregano)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika
Large pinch cayenne
Vegetable broth, as necessary
1/2 cup chopped Spring onions, white and green parts
1/4 cup chopped, pitted, green olives
2 boiled eggs, diced
Method
Make the dough: Put 2 cups boiling water, the butter and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir to melt butter and dissolve salt. Cool to room temperature. Gradually stir in flour with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Knead for a minute or two on a floured board, until firm and smooth. Add more flour if sticky. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for one hour.
Make the filling: Season chopped mushrooms generously with salt and pepper and set aside for 10 minutes. Heat three tablespoons olive oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and fry until nicely cooked, stirring throughout, about 5-10 minutes.
Turn heat down to medium and add onion and capsicum. Keep turning mixture with a spatula, as if cooking hash, until onion is softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, thyme, marjoram and epazote, stirring well to incorporate. (Add a little more oil to pan if mixture seems dry.) Season again with salt and pepper and let mixture fry for 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato paste, pimentón and cayenne, then a cup of broth. Turn heat to simmer, stirring well to incorporate any caramelised bits.
Cook for about 10 more minutes, until both meat and potatoes are tender and the sauce just coats them, juicy is what you want. Taste and adjust seasoning for full flavour (intensity will diminish upon cooling). Stir in spring onions and cheese, allowing to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Divide chilled dough into 30 g pieces and form into 5 cm diameter balls. Roll each piece into a 12 cm circle. Lay circles on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour.
Moisten outer edge of each round with water. Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the centre of each round, adding a little hard-cooked egg to each. Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Fold edge back and finish by pinching little pleats or crimping with a fork.
Heat oven to 190˚C. Place empanadas on an oiled baking sheet, about 3 cm apart. Brush tops lightly with melted butter and bake on top shelf of oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
I don't bake, so it does not surprise me that your Mushroom Empanadas recipe looks very complex. However it combines foods that I absolutely love (mushrooms, cheese, potatoes, onions, olives, eggs etc) in one delicious dish. My beloved cooks once a week, so I will print off this post and ask him to surprise me next weekend :)
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance
Hels