Happy Cinco De Mayo!

The aroma of mexican food is starting to surround and linger in the streets of the city once again. Weather you’re having your own party, or you’re going out to enjoy the sun, this Empanada recipe goes great with any Margarita and will have you craving more!

Vegetarian Empanadas

Dough:

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Filling:

• 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion; chopped
• 1 Jalapeno
• 1 lg Garlic clove; finely chopped
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 pinch Ground nutmeg
• 1 lg Tomato; peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 C. Fresh corn
• 1/2 C. Fresh Spinach, chopped
• 1 C Diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 C. Jack Cheese
• 1 Tbl Salt; to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper;
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

1. To prepare the vegetables, dice onion, bell pepper and coarsely chop corn. Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove skin, top and seeds. Then dice the
   tomatoes.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large and deep saute pan on medium-high heat.
3. Saute onion until translucent and add minced garlic, jalapeño, bell pepper, cumin, nutmeg, curry powder and rosemary. Cook for 2 minutes more.
4. Add spinach and cook until limp, then add tomatoes and corn. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates (about 5 min).
5. Add salt and pepper and cheese. Mix thoroughly. Let cool.
6. Roll out the dough and cut into desired sized circles.
7. Place filling in the middle and close the sides together with a fork. Top with garlic powder and salt after rubbing with egg wash.

Cook at 400* for 15 minutes and Enjoy!