Strawberry Rhubarb Empanadas

We all know of my salacious love of cheese, but I don’t think we have yet discussed my addiction to strawberries. And nothing satisfies my withdrawal symptoms more than fresh, in season berries. This time of year, I eat so many of them, my fingertips turn red…and then I practically gnaw off my skin in an attempt to get every last bit of strawberry flavor (no I don’t have a problem…fruit is healthy for you). So it was with glee that I discovered the newest Cookthink Root Source Challenge was strawberries!

I have no idea why, but the first thought that popped into my head after seeing the challenge ingredient was empanadas. I have had my fair share of homemade empanadas, but they have all had savory fillings. Since an empanada is a turnover with a Latina kick, I thought I’d give a sweeter filling a try. I tossed in the rhubarb because since making the Strawberry Rhubarb pie, I have been in love with the pairing of sweet and tart. Add a bit of cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg to the empanada dough and you have a great case for the oh so sinfully delicious one-two combo of strawberry and rhubarb.

For the empanada dough:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 large egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup cold water

3 tablespoons cold shortening

For the filling:

1 pint strawberries, diced

1 stalk rhubarb, diced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean pod

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 cup corn starch

1/4 cup pecans, walnuts or almonds, chopped

1 teaspoon allspice

Optional egg wash:

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cut the shortening into cubes and work them into the dough until the flour mixture becomes crumbly. In a separate, smaller bowl whisk together the egg, egg white, vinegar and water. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. With a fork, combine the wet and dry ingredients until a solid dough is formed. Lightly flour a work surface and knead the just formed dough until it’s smooth. Put in a Ziploc bag (or plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Right before you’re ready to roll out the dough, start on the filling. In a bowl, combine the diced strawberries and rhubarb, along with the sugars, vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract, allspice, nuts and corn starch. Set aside and begin rolling out the dough.

Lightly flour the work surface again (I know, I know, you just cleaned up this damn work surface and now I want to flour it up again) and roll it out until it’s 1/8 of an inch in width (or very thin for those who are measurement challenged). Cut out four inch diameter circles using either a biscuit or cookie cutter or some other circular object. This recipe will make ten dough “discs”. Spoon a small amount of the filling into the center of the disc and fold the dough over until the filling is covered and a semi-circle is formed. Crimp the edges closed with a fork and place the empanada on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Follow the same process for the remaining dough discs and place the formed empanadas in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

Before the chilling time is done, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pierce the top of each empanada with a fork to allow the dough to breath during the baking process (thus forming a flakier crust). You can brush the tops with an egg wash (1 egg and 2 tablespoons of water whisked together) but it’s not necessary. Bake the empanadas for 18 to 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Because I love the combination of chocolate and strawberries, I garnished my empanadas with a chocolate ganache, but this is my own sad addiction. I won’t pull the rest of you down with me.