Mushroom Empanadas Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add onion and sauté on medium until soft. Add mushrooms and sauté until ingredients start to brown. Add wine and cook, stirring, until it evaporates. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roll dough as thin as possible. Cut 3-inch circles. Scraps can be re-rolled one time. Place some cheese on one half of each circle and top with mushroom mixture, leaving a 1/2 -inch border around filling. Brush egg on empty side of circle, fold dough over to make a half-circle and tightly crimp edges.
• Heat vegetable oil 2 inches deep in a deep-fryer, sauté pan or wok. When oil reaches 375 degrees, fry empanadas, six at a time, a few minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Drain on absorbent paper. Allow to cool briefly before serving.

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until they just begin to brown. Then stir in the garlic and cook until the aroma is released, about 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and arbol chiles. Continue cooking until the mushrooms soften, 5 minutes. Stir in the epazote or parsley and briefly cook just to release its flavor, about a minute. Set aside to cool.
• Divide the corn tortilla dough into 16 equal balls and flatten to 1/4-inch thick, 3-inch circles Divide the cooled mushroom mixture into 16 portions.
• Lightly coat one side of each tortilla with the remaining softened butter. Place the mushroom mixture in the center and top with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese mixture. Fold over to enclose and pinch the edges together tightly to seal. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
• Pour the oil into a medium saucepan and place over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the empanadas, a few at a time, until they color slightly and rise to the surface, about 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• To serve, split each empanada open along the seam and garnish with 1 tablespoon each salsa, cabbage, crema, creme fraiche or sour cream. Serve hot.
• Note: Use a mixture of equal parts of the following cheeses: Mexican Manchego (substitute Monterey Jack or Muenster if unavailable), Anejo (substitute Romano or dried feta), and Panela (substitute ricotta or dry cottage cheese).
• Combine the masa harina, water and salt in a large mixing bowl, and stir until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky and form a ball when pressed together. To test, flatten a small ball of dough between your palms. If the edges crack, add water to the dough, a tablespoon at a time, until a test piece does not crack.

Steps:

• Make empanada filling:
• Cook squash in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes, then drain in a sieve.
• Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, salt, and broth and simmer, covered, until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes, then stir in squash and salt to taste. Cool filling completely.
• Make sauce:
• Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat until hot, then toast pasilla de Oaxaca chile, pressing down with tongs, 15 to 20 seconds on each side. Halve chile lengthwise and discard stem, ribs, and seeds.
• Heat griddle over moderately high heat until hot, then toast garlic until lightly blackened, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cool garlic slightly and peel.
• Simmer tomatillos, onion, water, chile, garlic, and salt in a large saucepan, covered, until tomatillos are very tender, about 20 minutes, and cool slightly. Remove 1 chile half and reserve, then purée sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), adding as much of reserved chile half as necessary to achieve desired spiciness. Return sauce to pan and season with salt.
• Form and bake empanadas:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Divide dough into 8 equal pieces (2 ounces each) and form each into a disk. Roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface into a 6- to 7-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Spoon about 1/3 cup filling onto center and brush edge of pastry lightly with egg wash. Fold dough in half to form a half-moon, enclosing filling, and press edges together to seal. Crimp edge decoratively and transfer empanada with a spatula to a large baking sheet. Make 7 more empanadas in same manner.
• Lightly brush empanadas all over with some of remaining egg wash and sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While empanadas are baking, reheat sauce. Cut each empanada in half with a serrated knife and serve with about 3 tablespoons sauce spooned around it.
• Available at Latino markets and Kitchen/Market (888-468-4433).

Steps:

• In a 12-inch heavy skillet cook onions in butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in mushrooms and bell peppers and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mixture begins to brown. Add ham and Sherry and cook, stirring, until liquid is evaporated.
• In a bowl stir together mushroom mixture, parsley, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste and cool, uncovered.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out 1 pastry sheet into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle. Halve rectangle lengthwise with a long sharp knife and spread about half of mushroom filling on 1 half, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Brush edges of mushroom-topped pastry with some egg wash and put remaining pastry half on top of filling. Crimp edges of dough together with fork tines and cut several slits in empanada with a small sharp knife. Carefully transfer empanada with 2 spatulas to a large baking sheet, leaving room for second empanada, and brush with some remaining egg wash. Make another empanada in same manner with remaining pastry sheet, filling, and egg wash.
• Put empanadas in middle of oven and reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake empanadas until golden, about 35 minutes. Empanadas may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely on a rack, and chilled, wrapped in foil. Reheat empanadas, uncovered, on a baking sheet in a preheated 375°F. oven until hot, about 6 minutes. With a serrated knife cut empanadas into 3/4-inch slices.