A few conversations with my students during butternut squash empanada week:
“Oh I don’t like this,” she says with one bite left on her plate.
“No? Because for someone who doesn’t like something you’re sure eating a lot.”
“No, no, no. I don’t like it.”
*****
“I don’t like pumpkin.”
“That’s great! Because we’re using butternut squash today.”
“I don’t know about this…”
[We finish making our empanadas.]
“This is actually good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, but I still don’t like pumpkin.”
“Okay, so I guess you won’t want any pumpkin spice muffins next week?”
“Oh, no, those are good pumpkins.”
*****
“Are we making pumpkin soup? I love pumpkin soup!”
“No, we’re making empanadas.”
“I don’t know what that is. Does it have pumpkin?”
“It can, but we’re filling ours with butternut squash.”
“Butternut squash? Doesn’t that have a lot of butter in it? I’m also allergic to nuts.”
*****
“Why are we killing the brother?”
“What do you mean? We’re not killing anything.”
“You said butternut squash and pumpkin were brothers. And now we’re going to eat butternut squash.”
“I said they are related, like brothers, because they are winter squashes. They grew big and strong and delicious so we can eat them.”
“I’m not eating the brother.”
*****
“So what do you think?”
“This is actually excellent.”
“Yeah? What makes it so good?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s like, a vegetable, so it should not be good. But, it’s like, good.”
*****
“Ummm, I really like this. Are we getting the recipe? Can I have the recipe. I need to make more of these.”
“Yes, we’ll get the recipes at the end of the year. We’ll have a whole book of recipes.”
“Okay, good. Because I like this. Can I have another?”
Butternut Squash Empanadas
Makes 24 6-inch empanadasEmpanada Dough:*
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (or freshly ground flax seed)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup very warm tap water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Filling:
1 butternut squash (or other winter squashes, acorn, buttercup or sweet pumpkin, for example)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon muscavado sugar (alternate: dark brown sugar)
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped*Note: You can alternatively use thawed pastry dough from the store
Preheat oven to 350F. Slice squash in half length wise. Scoop out seeds (reserve, wash and toast with salt for a snack). Prick the squash with a fork, brush with the olive oil. Bake 30-45 minutes until squash is soft when pricked with a fork. Set aside to cool. Turn oven to 375F.
In a medium mixing bowl sift together flours and wheat germ. Work in the butter with your hands until batter is granular. In a small bowl, whisk ONE egg with salt, warm water, and vinegar, then add to the dough. Add egg mixture to the flour and knead together a few minutes until smooth. Divide the dough into 24 portions. Roll into balls, cover, and let rest at least 30 minutes on counter.
Scoop squash into a bowl, leaving behind the skin. Add nutmeg, salt, sugar and sage. Use a potato masher to mash the squash until it’s smooth/ even in texture. Taste, add more salt if needed. (You can alternatively put filling ingredients into a food processor, puree until smooth.)
Whisk the second egg in a small bowl and set in your work area.
Working with one dough ball at a time, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into 6-7 inch rounds, about 1/8-inch thick. Wet the perimeter of the circle with the beaten egg, then scoop 2-3 heaping tablespoons of filling just below center of dough. Fold in half, expelling air, then crimp the edges with a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet. Continue until baking sheet is full. Brush the top of each empanada with some of the beaten egg (this will help brown the dough when baking). Bake 18-25 minutes, until golden.
NOTE: Want to decorate the tops of your empanadas? Take a few of your dough balls and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Use miniature cookie cutters to make shapes. After you’ve applied the egg to the empanadas, top with your dough shapes.