Crack into hot spinach and cheese empanadas
As the temperature cools ever so slightly and we take the opportunity to turn our attention to comfort foods, a piping-hot parcel of pastry stuffed full of gooey cheese and spinach sounds like the perfect warming autumn snack. Fire up the oven, grab a mountain of absorbent napkins and crunch into the ultimate Argentinian street food. Chefs Enrique Zanoni and Gaston Stovelmaher share their recipe for this vegetarian classic below, which seduces the crowds at their two restaurants and wandering street-food truck in Paris.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
1 kg plain flour, sifted
25 g salt
325 g unsalted butter, cubed
350 ml water
Bechamel
70 g unsalted butter
70 g plain flour, sifted
700 ml milk
salt
black pepper
pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
Filling
700 g baby spinach
olive oil
salt
black pepper
200 g mozzarella or fetta cheese, diced
100 g parmesan or Grana Padano cheese, grated
Glaze
3 egg yolks, beaten
TO MAKE
To prepare the dough, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt. Rub the butter into the flour and salt with your hands until you have a sandy texture with no lumps. Add the water and combine using your hands, adding a little more water if necessary. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for ten to 15 minutes. Form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring, for four minutes, then add the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. Continue cooking for ten minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Allow to cool.
To make the filling, cook the spinach in a hot frying pan with a little oil until wilted. Drain thoroughly in a colander and roughly chop. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Combine the mozzarella, parmesan and spinach. Add the cold bechamel sauce and adjust the seasoning.
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm and cut out circles with a 14 cm cutter. Using a 60 ml ice-cream scoop or measuring cup, form small balls of filling and place one on each round of dough. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with a little water and fold over into a half-moon shape. Seal the edges.
Arrange the empanadas on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Recipe and images courtesy of Argentinian Street Food by Enrique Zanoni and Gaston Stivelmaher. Photography by Akiko Ida. Published by Murdoch Books.
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