ROOTS & WINGS

33. "Never-Ending" Pumpkin Empanadas

These came about by pure chance... but, dang, what a yummy slam-dunk!

As it happens I'm thinning out my cookbook selection right now, and swayed about the two Mexican Cookbooks. Actually, I have no real connection to Cocina Mexicana, but the covers were very... enticing. Hey, you eat with your eyes first!

And then... I got a memory flash.

It was a real grey sh–day, like that rainy day I remembered when browsing through them. The one in that little Mexican restaurant in Staten Island where, at first, only I sought refuge... and got a burrito served from which at least 6 Europeans would've gotten a full and sated stomach. Hot like poop, of course, but hey, who am I to complain about a great, handmade Yum on a cold day, huh? More people joined, mostly locals, and as soon as they realized a foreigner was among them... Several hours, and conversations later, the rain subsided, and we all left the place with fond memories... at least me.

Reluctant Halloweenist , who has followed my cooking / baking selections over time, might probably laugh about that we're back at "NEW YORK – HUNGRY"  now, when he reads this.

Anyway, I not only found this dish to be VERY yummy, however, but also some others I found... and so the books stayed.

Also, I thought it's the PERFECT Yum to ring in Fall Season.

BUT, you may wonder the whole time already: why the heck are they NEVER-ENDING!?

Well, already in the BEST case, it takes several hours until you can eat.

Me, it took 3 days.

Don't worry: it's not because I'm too dumb to make them, but I always got interrupted. Kein Scheiß, guys, it was like Someone Above didn't want me to EVER taste them.

I started making the dough in the night from last Sunday to Monday. I wanted to let it prove overnight as the dough's more wholesome then.

On Monday, I wanted to prep the filling, and then do them Monday evening for dinner.

Easy enough, eh?

Uh... nope.

I'd just returned from sport on Monday and was merrily at chopping for the filling, when my friend Ingeborg spontaneously invited me to a monthly event we both like to attend – "Café Babel", a gathering where people can learn / speak different languages by talking to native speakers. Since I had forgotten to register – which usually excludes you as the event is very sought after with limited space – and had heard nothing from her, I thought it was a sure thing. (They let me in without checking, they know me).

Then, on Tuesday, I realized – just in time! – that in the recipe they used dried herbs, while I used fresh ones. Again MORE chopping. Also, a huge bunch of friends / family from Germany realized just THAT day that I exist and decided to call. Dudes, you DON'T turn down your bloody family, now do you?

On Wednesday, I decided to end my task, come hell or high water, but after sports my nap turned into several hours because I'd forgotten to set my phone's alarm.

But: FINALLY!

At 9 PM, Wednesday (remember, I started Monday night!), the first batch of empanadas came out of the oven, delivering me from autolysis.

The Old Man Up There had also granted me a generous "harvest" – no joke, 28! I ate the last ones today for lunch.

Who cares that the jalapeños burned like heck in the finish (remember I'm a wuss spice-wise), but these were some of the BLOODY BEST things I ever tasted... a bit like Mexican "30. Original Swedish Köttbullar " . Nah, rather like Mexican ravioli?

They were SO yummy even, that instead of an occasional sweet treat after sports, I just ate these.

And – although they take some time to make – if you're NOT interrupted – time relatively flies, and you get to reap great results!




Serves: 15 Recipe.; 28 Me. But my "cutter" was a bit smaller than the one in the recipe.

Prep Time: 5+ hrs From start to eat. OR: plus proving overnight

Degree of Difficulty: Easy




WE NEED


DOUGH


4-5 ice cubes
330 gr / 11.75 oz. flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Salt
170 gr / 6 oz. butter
3 eggs
2.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp milk



FILLING

500 gr / 1 lb. 2 oz. Hokkaido-pumpkin
2 red onions
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin

2-3 pinches cinnamon CEYLON, which doesn't contain so much cumarin as the (cheaper) CASSIA, which, at regular use, can damage the liver.

1/4 tsp ground oregano Here I diverted – and used up fresh rosemary, instead. If you DO use fresh herb, it's about 1 tbsp

100 ml / 3.5 US fl.oz. veg stock Try to find the one with the SHORTEST ingredients' list, as it contains the LEAST unhealthy preservatives.

3-4 tbsp pickled jalapeño chili rings
1/3 bunch / 12-15 gr / 0.5 oz. fresh coriander
180 (200) gr / 6.25 (7) oz. feta Packaging was 180 gr.
2-3 pinches chipotle chili powder For those who like it hot – so not me.




WE DO


DOUGH


1. Put the ice cubes into a glass with about 3 US fl.oz. cold water. While they're melting, mix flour, baking powder + salt. Cut the butter into small cubes, and refrigerate until the ice cubes have mostly molten.


2. Add the cold butter to the flour mix and quickly rub it between your fingers until crumbly. Measure 3.5 US fl.oz. ice water and whisk it together with 2 eggs + vinegar. Add to the crumble and first stir with a fork, then knead into a soft, SLIGHTly sticky dough with your hands. (Mine stuck like heck! I needed several ounces more flour to complete it. ALSO: don't knead the dough too hard as it otherwise becomes too firm + fatty


3. Flour a working surface and GENTLY press the dough to an about 25x15 cm / 10x6 in rectangle. Mine was more like 1 ft x 6 in. From the narrow sides, fold over the dough, wrap it into cling film and refrigerate it for 3-4 hrs.



FILLING


1. The recipe says to quarter the pumpkin, remove seeds + fibers and then grate it with a veg grater. I measured the required amount, cubed it small – roughly 1/2 in – and blitzed them in 4 portions in the food blender. It's faster than hand-grating – at least feels so.


2. Finely chop onions + garlic – keep separately. If you use fresh oregano/rosemary, wash, shake dry, pull off the needles and finely chop them, too. You shouldn't blitz these, though, as you only need the needles, NOT the wood twigs they hang on.


3. YOU must not do so, but since I have difficulty when a lot of spices / herbs shall be added quickly to a dish while it cooks / fries, I prepped the spice-herb-mix in a little bowl in peace. Also prep the veg stock while you're at it. (For the same reason as the herbs.)


4. Heat the olive oil in a LARGE pan – I had to use my biggest, 11 in pan! – and sauté the onions on low heat until translucent. When they're almost, add the garlic and briefly sauté. Then raise temperature – I went up to middle-heat – add the pumpkin, and fry it for 1-2 minutes while stirring. Add the herbs/spices, and then the veg stock. Stir and continue frying for 3-4 more minutes, while stirring, until the pumpkin has softened and the liquid evaporated. Then pull off the heat and let cool off.


5. Drain the jalapeño-chili-rings and roughly chop them. Wash, shake dry, pick off the coriander leaves and roughly chop them, too. Dab dry the feta and crumble it with a fork. Mix everything into the pumpkin; if needed, season once more with salt, pepper + chili powder. I didn't. Old wuss.

6. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F top-/bottom heat. If your oven doesn't have that function 160°C / 320°F fan/convection. Line 1-2 baking sheet(s) with baking paper.


7. Separate the last egg into little bowls, whisking the white, and the yolk with milk in the other bowl. Flour a working surface.


8. Take half of the dough – leave the other in the cling film in the fridge – roll it out (without too much pressure!) – 3-4 mm / 1/6 in thin and cut about 10 cm / 4 in circles. I used a 9 cm / 3.5 in whisky tumbler, the biggest "cookie cutter" I have.

Brush the rim of each "circle" about 1 cm / 0.5 in thick with egg white, add 1-2 tsp filling – I shaped it with my hands on top –, put one half of the circle over the filling onto the other, and press on. You can make the characteristic pattern with a – floured! – fork. (The dough's still quite sticky and tends to tear when you're not gentle) Do the same with the other half of the dough, when the first load is in the oven.

Put the empanadas onto the prepped baking sheets with some space between them.


9. Bake the empanadas in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes OR until golden-brown. Since every oven's different this can take longer/shorter

ALSO: I'm not sure if the dough was in the fridge for too long but different to my first sheet, all empanadas on the second sheet more or less exploded. Four "laggards" – remember I got 28, almost double the stated amount out of the recipe – came out mostly intact again.


10. Remove finished empanadas from the oven, let cool slightly, and serve still warm.



Guten Hunger & Buen provecho!