May 4, 2015

Mushroom and Fontina Empanada with Cilantro Salsa

Name: Mushroom Fontina Empanada with Jalapeño Cilantro Salsa
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed; 5 jalapenos; 2 garlic cloves; 1/4 cup lime juice; 1/2 cup olive oil; 3 cups baby bella mushrooms; 1 yellow onion; 2 tablespoons salted butter; 8 ounces fontina cheese, grated; 1 batch empanada dough; 2 eggs (for egg wash)

From Katie: As a history buff, y’all know I couldn’t just make a recipe like this and not explore the origins of the food. Empanadas turned out to have a fascinating backstory! Empanadas are a really neat food because they come from a long line of regional variations. Essentially, people have been stuffing crispy doughs with yummy fillings for centuries! We believe that empanadas are originally of Middle Eastern or Asian descent, possible coming down to us from samosas (also yummmm).

The variations are really cool to look through, but ours are most similar to Argentinian or Peruvian empanadas, mainly due to the fact that they are baked. Truly, though, you could explore the entire culinary world simply through miniature, crusted pies like these. They have different names in many places, but they all have this homey and simple feel to them that is comforting and enticing- plus they are SO conveniently portable!

This empanada filling and sauce is a continuation of my earlier post regarding the empanada dough. This was our favorite combination of empanada sauce and filling that we have tried and it was also the easiest.

The mushroom, onion, and fontina filling is a slightly sweet and savory filling that is perfectly complimented by the spiciness of the jalapeño cilantro salsa.

Mushroom Fontina Empanada with Jalapeño Cilantro Salsa

Course Main Course

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the salsa

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
5 jalapenos
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil

For the empanadas

3 cups baby bella mushrooms
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons salted butter
8 ounces fontina cheese, grated
1 batch empanada dough
2 eggs for egg wash

Instructions

Make the salsa

Destem and wash cilantro. Put a packed cup of leaves into the bowl of a food processor.
Wash and slice the jalapeños, removing the stem and seeds. Slice into large strips and add to the food processor.
Add in the garlic, lime juice, and olive oil. Blend until the olive oil is no long separated. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until needed.

Make the empanada filling

Chop the mushrooms into 1″ pieces, and discard the stems.
Dice the onion.
Heat the butter over medium-high heat and add the onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated. Roughly 15 minutes.
Grate the cheese and set aside in a bowl.

Assemble the empanadas

Separate egg whites and egg yolks into two bowls and prepare a baking sheet.
Using one disc of dough at a time, arrange 1-2 tablespoons of mushrooms off to the side and top with a sprinkle of cheese. Brush the edge with egg whites, and fold over to press gently. Seal more firmly and create decorative edge with a fork.
Repeat with remaining dough discs and filling.
Arrange all empanadas on a baking sheet and coat generously with egg yolk.