Authentic Empanada Dough and Filling

 Pastry Dough

2 cups flour

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cubed

1 egg

6 tablespoons warm water

1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine sifted flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Add egg and pulse until just combined. 

2. Dissolve salt in warm water. Add gradually to the food processor and pulse until a soft dough ball forms. Turn ball into a bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 

3. Dust a work surface with flour and knead dough for 1 minute. Roll out thinly and cut into discs. Freeze discs for later or use right away for your favorite sewer or savory empanadas. 

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound yellow onions, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 pounds ground beef

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon butter or as needed

36 empanada pastry discs

1 egg white beaten

1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, and bell pepper. Cover and cook stirring occasionally until onions are translucent., 10-15 minutes. 

2. Add ground beef, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin to the onion mixture. Cook and stir beef until no longer pink, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then cover and place in the refrigerator until meat is completely cooled, about 1 hour. 

3. Remove filling from the refrigerator and transfer into a colander to drain. Return filling to the ditch oven. 

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Liberally grease a baking sheet with butter. 

5. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of a disc. Fold empanada in half into a crescent shape, press the edges of the dough together with a fork or fingers to seal and place on prepared baking sheet repeat with remaining empanadas and filling. Brush tops with egg white. 

6. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

Muffaletta Tortellini Salad

 Prep time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients

Cut into bite size pieces:

Aldi deli selection which contains, salami, capicola, and one other meat

4 ounces Asiago cheese, cut into bite size pieces 

2 containers marinated mozzarella balls

Olive Salad

2 packages fresh tortellini or frozen

2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts (save juice)

1 roasted red pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 jar Kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Prepare the olive salad first  Reserve 2 tablespoons olive oil to add to cooked tortellini. In a medium bowl combine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, seasonings and whisk  cut up remaining ingredients and add to bowl  toss well.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini according to directions. Drain and cool. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix so pasta doesn’t stick together.

3. While the pasta is cooking, prepare deli meats and cheeses, cut into bite size pieces.

4. Toss in chopped meats and mix with olive salad. Enjoy!

5. Add juice from artichokes and mozzarella balls if too dry.

Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp. Very good! I used roasted red pepper instead of sun dried tomatoes.

 Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp (  Video)

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I made this

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Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted butter
6 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 pound (500 g) shrimp (or prawns), tails on or off
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup white wine (OPTIONAL)
5 oz (150 g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil, drained (reserve 1 teaspoon of the jarred oil for cooking)
1 3/4 cups half and half SEE NOTES
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoons of water (optional)***
2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Steps

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add in the shrimp and fry two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
Fry the onion in the butter remaining in the skillet. Pour in the white wine (if using), and allow to reduce to half, while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the sun dried tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes to release their flavours.
Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the half and half and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)
Add the shrimp back into the pan; sprinkle with the herbs and parsley, and stir through.
Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg.

Notes

Half and half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories and fat counts), in place of half and half. Alternatively, use all light cream or heavy cream. Substitute half and half with almond milk. 
If serving with pasta: add in pasta cooked al dente along with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water into the pan of shrimp once they are cooked. Gently mix through the sauce until combined. Serve immediately.