Empanada...Impanato...Spinado...whatever!

I planned to make these a lot earlier in the month but things kept coming up...board review, a spur of the moment dinner with friends, working in the peds ER...but K and I finally made them.  So glad she enjoys cooking...such a good helper! 

 Patri of the blog, Asi Son Los Cosas, was our September 2012 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she decided to tempt us with one of her family’s favorite recipes for Empanadas! We were given two dough recipes to choose from and encouraged to fill our Empanadas as creatively as we wished!  I decided to fill them with ground turkey mixed with corn, tomato sauce and cheese, seasoned with cumin (YUM!). 

I used less of this in my empanadas and added zucchini and squash.  K called them different things throughout the night.  First it was spinado.  Then it was impanato.  Cute either way!  She finally decided that she liked it.  D initially wasn't sure because I think he expected it to taste more Tex-Mex than it did...but then said that he liked it. 

Turns out these make great leftovers to take to work.  :-)  We both felt that they were a little to "bready" but I think that can be attributed to the fact that I used the wheat recipe AND didn't have a rolling pin at D's house to use...so I used a spaghetti-o's can wrapped in foil to roll it out.  Innovation I tell you!  ;-)  A fun challenge that I'm glad I got to do.

Empanada Dough

(a recipe using wheat flour from “La Empanada Gallega”)

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

3½ cups (500 gm) all-purpose (plain) or bread flour
1 cup (240 ml) warm water
½ cup less 1 tablespoon (100 ml) of liquid fat (oil, margarine, lard)
1 satchel (1 tablespoon) (15 gm) dry yeast or (1 oz) (30 gm) fresh yeast
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
1 teaspoon (3 gm) sweet paprika

Directions:

1. Shift the flour into a bowl, make a well in the middle and add all the ingredients (you should break the fresh yeast as much as possible).
2. Mix with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients have been incorporated
3. Turn dough onto your counter and knead for 8 minutes
4. Make a ball and allow to rise covered with a cloth for about half an hour before using. 
5. Once risen, turn the dough back into a floured counter and tear off in small pieces (I got eight).
6. Roll each piece out to desired size
7. Place about 1/4 cup filling on each and top with a little cheese.  
8. Pull edges of dough over filling in the middle and roll closed.  Then work your way out to the ends until it is completely closed around the filling.
9. Place empanadas on a baking sheet and place into a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Filling:
1 pound ground turkey (Probably used about 1/2 of this eventually)
1 can corn
1 can tomato sauce
cumin
cheese

Cook turkey.  Then allow to cool.  Mix together turkey, corn, sauce and add cumin (about 1 tsp).  Fill empanadas.

Wow...long time. A cake...Just in Case!

Can you tell I've been busy!?  No time to blog!  I have been cooking and have lots to share...lots of sweet treats...but just have had lots going on and not able to blog.  Lots of work, family, fun, studying, a WEEK of pediatric board review (i.e., 9 hours a day of lecture for 6.5 days), helping take care of K, etc.  But it's all been good.  Hopefully, after October 17, when I take my board, I'll be able to post a good bit...but here's a quick post.  Just in case you still have lots of zucchini overload, a yummy zucchini cake.  D wouldn't taste it because "who puts zucchini in a cake?"  I told him you couldn't taste it and he said "maybe you can't!"  Ha!  Anyway, my Sunday school class and coworkers enjoyed it.  Try for yourselves!

 Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Joy the Baker
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
8 oz. fat free cream cheese
2 cups sugar (I used half Splenda)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, melted ( I think I used 3/4 cups)
2 cups shredded zucchini

Frosting:
8 oz. low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray Bundt pan with flour cooking spray.  Whisk together flour, soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Reserve for later.  Cream cream cheese, sugar for 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time.  Mix in vanilla.  Pour in melted butter with mixer on low speed.  Increase to medium high for 3 minute or until smooth.  Reduce to low and add all the flour. Mix until incorporated.  Fold in zucchini.  Pour into prepared pan.  Place into oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 20 minutes then turn onto cooling rack. 

For icing, cream the cream cheese in a mixer.  Scrape bowl and add butter.  Beat for 1 minute.  Add brown sugar and beat.  Turn on low and add confectioner's sugar and salt.  Then vanilla.  Beat until incorporated.  Spread over cake.  Enjoy!