Veggie Gluten Free Empanadas

Empanadas have long been known as a delicious Argentinian specialty but their origins have a much longer history that dates back to the Spanish Moors. They are believed to have come from Arabic dishes of meat filled pies: samosas! Empanadas first appear in medieval Iberia and historians have discovered a cookbook in Catalan published in 1510 to have contained empanada recipes alone with other Catalan, Italian, French and Arabic recipes. The empanada served as a hearty meal for the working class filled with meats, tomatoes and spices. In Portugal, large empanadas were made and cut up into pieces making them a portable and an affordably filling meal. They were carried to Latina America and the Philippines during Spanish conquest and are still a popular food there to this day. Filipino empanadas are much like the Latin American ones, filled with ground pork, potatoes, carrots, peas and are flavored with soy or oyster sauce. They are some gluten free varieties that are popular in regions of Argentina made with cassava flour.

Makes 8

For dough

3/4 cup gluten free flour (make sure your flour already contains xanthan gum)

1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cold unsalted butter ( chopped into cubes)

1/4 cup cold cream cheese ( chopped into cubes)

1 egg lightly beaten

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

In a mixer or food processor, add the flours and salt. Pulse.
Add in your butter and cream cheese. Pulse a few times until mix resembles crumbs.
Pour in your egg and vinegar and pulse again.

Take your mix and form into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge over night.

For the filling

1/2 of a medium size acorn squash (steamed), diced and set in a medium size bowl

1/4 of an onion (chopped)

1 roasted bell pepper (chopped)

1 chopped tomato

1/4 cup either fresh or frozen corn

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp bouillon of your choice

Preheat oven to 375 F

In a sauce pan heat up your butter and oil. Add your onions and salt. When onions begin to brown add in your tomatoes and bell pepper. Stir for another minute and add the corn and garlic. Stir again for another minute or so and add the bouillon. Turn heat off and transfer mix to bowl with steamed squash. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

Take your chilled dough out of fridge and begin to roll out between two sheet of parchment paper and cut out 8 rounds. Spoon on 2 Tbsp of filling onto each round. Fold the rounds over filling and pinch sides to seal. Work quickly and in a cool environment so dough does not warm up too much. If dough begins to warm up, and begins to break off easily, pop the dough into the freezer for a few minutes.

Place your empanadas on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Stick them in the freezer for 5 minutes (this will help hold their shape). Prepare your egg wash. Remove empanadas from freezer and brush with the egg wash. Place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until edges are a golden brown color.