Beet & Feta Empanadas

You must cook the beets for this in advance; I think it's easiest to do it a day ahead. Then you can make the filling right away, or the next day when ready to proceed - whichever is most convenient. As usual with this sort of advance cooking, they could be left over from another meal. If you no longer have the beet greens, of if they weren't that great to start with, they can be replaced with Swiss chard, which is, after all, only another kind of beet green.

 

The resulting empanadas are light but substantial enough to carry the meal. We ate them with some vegetables sticks and dip, and there were enough for two lunches. I made 6 empanadas but next time would probably make 8 - we found that 1 was not quite enough, but 2 would have been too many, so split 1 at each meal. 

And delightful as these were, I must spare a moment to rave about last years dish - Coconut Macaroon Peach Crisp! I should make it again while I can still find peaches, because it was quite amazing.

 

6 to 8 empanadas - 4 servings

20 minutes to make the filling, NOT including cooking the beets

1 hour 30 minutes - 40 minutes prep time to form & bake the empanadas

 

 

Make the Filling:

1 cup (2 medium) finely diced cooked beets

1 small onion

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

2 cups finely chopped beet greens OR Swiss chard

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed

1 teaspoon rubbed oregano

freshly ground black pepper to taste

150 grams (5 ounces) feta cheese

 

Roast (wrapped in foil) or boil the beets until tender; about 45 minutes to an hour. Allow to cool at least enough to handle, but this can be done up to a day ahead. 

 

Peel and chop the onion fairly finely. Peel and mince the garlic. Wash, trim, and chop the beet greens. 

 

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until softened and slightly browned; about 10 minutes. Stir regularly. Add the garlic and seasonings and cook for another minute or so, then add the beet greens and cook them just until wilted down. Transfer to a mixing bowl or coverable dish and allow to cool at least enough to handle, but again, this can be done up to a day ahead.

 

Make the Pastry:

2 1/3 cups whole spelt flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup mild vegetable oil

1 medium egg

extra flour to roll out

1 medium egg

2 tablespoons cream

 

Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and blend. Grate in the butter. Measure the buttermilk and oil, and whisk one of the eggs into them. Mix into the flour to form a dough, but do not overmix. Cover it and let it rest for 15 or 20 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 6 or 8 equal pieces. Dust each one with flour and roll them out on a pastry board or piece of parchment paper to form a thin circle 7"-8" in diameter. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. 

As the circles of dough are rolled out, place 1/6 or 1/8 of the filling on one half of it, leaving space clear around the edge to fold and seal the empanada. Spread it out to reasonably flat and evenly distributed. Fold over the clear half of the dough, and press sealed around the edges. Fold the edges in, pinching them closed. Transfer the finished empanada to the prepared pan. Continue with the remaining ingredients. Poke all the empanadas with a fork to allow the steam to escape.

Mix the cream into the remaining egg. Brush the empanadas with this mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow the empanadas to cool to room temperature before serving.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Coconut Macaroon Peach Crisp.