Apple Empanadas

Tomorrow's the big day, folks. The first day of class, my first big step into this Next Big Thing I've undertaken.

I'm really excited. Nervous. Excited. Nervous.

But in a way, I already feel like I'm in school. I've been training at the Franklin Fountain to be the pastry chef Davina's assistant AND I've been learning how to make that ice cream the Fountain is so famous for. It's inspiring. I've been extremely lucky thus far to have both Davina and Alison the ice cream maker as my teachers-- they are fantastic and thorough and very, very sweet. I do hope this trend continues with my other schooling...

Davina and I spent a recent weekday making apple turnovers which will be served in the shop a la mode or made into our famous Hot Apple Pie Milkshake (recently featured in the Rachel Ray magazine!). Inspired by her teaching and by my recent trip with Beth to Linvilla Orchards, I decided to whip up a south-of-the-border twist on the classic American apple pie.

Traditionally of course empanadas are a Spanish or Portuguese savory pastry. And while this recipe is definitely a dessert empanada, the tequila and the chili powder give the apples a little savory kick that really wakes up your tongue.

The pastry recipe is a doubled adaptation of this Vegetarian Times pie crust recipe. And as Davina taught me this week, for a nice flaky crust it's important that all of your ingredients be as cold as possible. She keeps a bowl of water and ice next to her food processor so that it is guaranteed to be ice cold when added to the dry ingredients. The butter should stay in the fridge until you are just ready to use it-- don't leave it out on the counter while you blend your dry ingredients.

For all of this advice and for many other things, this recipe is dedicated to Davina.


Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: 30-35 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20-30 minutes
SERVES: 8-10 people


INGREDIENTS:
for the pastries:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup cold water
for the filling:
5-6 medium sized cooking apples (such as McIntosh) peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
the juice & zest of 1 large lime
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinamon
2 teaspoons mild chili powder, divided
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 oz. shot tequila

1 egg, beaten



DIRECTIONS:
First make the pastry: in a food processor, pulse all dry pastry ingredients to combine. Add butter and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Slowly drizzle cold water into food processor and process until a dough ball forms. Remove dough from food processor, wrap tightly in plastic and refridgerate for at least one hour.

After dough is sufficiently refridgerated, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine apples, lime juice & zest, brown sugar, cinamon, 1 teaspoon chili powder, salt and tequila in a large bowl and stir to incorporate fully. Set aside.

(The apples are sliced larger in this picture because orginally I had a pie in mind and then decided to go with empanadas instead.)

In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to pie crust thinness (thick enough so that it can be folded without tearing).

Yes, I rolled out my dough with a bottle of triple sec. Don't judge me-- I know, I know-- I need a rolling pin.

Using a wide-mouthed bowl (my bowl measured about 5 1/2 inches in diameter) or, you know, an actual circle pastry cutter if you're fancy, cut circles in the dough.

With a pastry brush (now that I DO have!) lightly brush the dough circles with the beaten egg, making sure to get close to the edges (this will help to create a seal so the filling doesn't spill out in the oven). Place a small spoonful of the apple filling in the middle of the egg-brushed circle and fold the pastry in half, crimping the edges with your fingers or a fork. Brush the top of the folded pastry with a little egg wash and lightly sprinkle with the sugar/chili powder combination. With a sharp knife, carefully make two incisions on the top of the folded pastry to allow steam to escape.

(As this picture demostrates, it takes a little while to master this technique. But you'll get the hang of it, just like I did-- plus the ugly ones still taste deeee-licious!)

Place pastries on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Keep a close eye on these guys, as they can go from perfect to burnt really quickly.


Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and celebrate the joy of learning new things!

Peach Rosemary Smoothie

Oh sure, I know what you're thinking. "Why does The Cozy Herbivore always post smoothie recipes in the fall? Why doesn't she do smoothie recipes in the summer, when the weather is super-hot and the produce is super-fresh?"

The truth, veggie freaks, is that I've been such a busy little squirrel this season that it's taken until just about now for me to start to enjoy the fruits of my labors. I've been canning and freezing the bounty of summer's fruits for those dark winter months when I start to feel like a sailor in the hold of a dank and freezing ship, fighting off the effects of produce-deprived scurvy. Plus of course I firmly believe that the height of summer's gifts should be consumed simply, as Mother Nature intended. It seems like such a shame to cook or blend or boil a perfectly ripe piece of fruit. Better to just pop it directly into one's mouth and savor that je ne sais quoi that lets you know you are eating incomparable Fruit.

So with a freezer stocked and a cabinet almost full of jewel-hued Mason Jars (still saving some room for apple butter, to be canned soon), I turned to my supplies for a refreshing smoothie. This summer has been a banner year for peaches, with the hot and dry weather causing the fruit to ripen earlier than usual and have a higher concentration of sugar. A great article about this area's peach crop is here.

This smoothie gets its color from the blueberries, but peach is the star fruit here. The fruit makes this smoothie sweet, but the aromatic rosemary keeps it from crossing the line into saccharine territory. It's all nicely balanced by the earthy buckwheat honey and the creamy cashews. Apricots or nectarines can be used in place of the peaches if you prefer. To make this smoothie vegan, simply substitute grade B maple syrup or agave nectar for the honey.



Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: n/a
SERVES: 1 person


INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 fresh peach, pit removed, roughly chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, woody stem removed, chopped finely
2 tablespoons creamed cashews (recipe below)
2 tablespoons buckwheat honey
1/3 cup unsweetened soy or oat milk


DIRECTIONS:
For the creamed cashews, (recipe courtesy Bryant Terry, author of Vegan Soul Kitchen and a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute) soak 1 cup unroasted, unsalted cashews in 1/2 cup water for at least 6 hours or overnight if possible. Combine soaked cashews and water in a blender and process until smooth. This will yield a lot more creamed cashews than this recipe calls for-- simply seal the rest in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. They make a wonderfully creamy dairy-free addition to a wide variety of foods.

Layer smoothie ingredients in blender as listed above, beginning with the frozen blueberries. Process until smooth. If you like your smoothies a bit thinner or if your blender is having trouble getting through everything, add more soy/oat milk.

Enjoy after an intense workout for a sweet protein-packed punch!

Summer Squash Casserole

Happy early fall, veggie lovers! Around here the weather has turned from oppressively hot to simply gorgeous, with bright sunny days and cool nights that have that whisper of winter behind them. We're sleeping with the windows open again, enjoying the cool night breezes. It's crisp and clear and heavenly.

And I have been simply bursting with recipe ideas, cut off from this blog because of equipment failure. You'll have to excuse the slightly grainy quality of this post's photos-- the replacement camera cord is in the mail but I couldn't wait for it any longer so I used my phone to snap pictures of this recipe.

As I prepare to go to culinary school (one week from tomorrow!!!), I have been cooking more thoughtfully, trying to be mindful of the crazy and exciting year in food I have ahead of me. Deb recently came home from work with several bags full of summer squash, zucchini and crooknecked squash from a co-worker's garden. Yes, it's that time of year-- the time when squash overruns home vegetable plots and exhausted gardeners just can't give it away fast enough. I've been combing through my recipe collection for squash recipes so as not to let this bounty go to waste.

This casserole is adapted from a recipe I found at Vegetarian Times. It's a great play on textures: the smooth chevre and soft squash are contrasted nicely by the crunch of the panko bread crumbs. The combination of herbed chevre and fresh rosemary add a nice earthiness to the dish. It's a snap to prepare and would be very elegant as a side at your next dinner party.

Plus of course it's a great way to use up all of that squash rattling around in your fridge. This recipe works well with zucchini, summer squash or crookneck squash-- or try a combination of the three!


Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20-30 minutes
SERVES: 6-8 people


INGREDIENTS:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 large summer squash, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed, chopped finely
1 cup panko style bread crumbs
5 oz. herbed chevre, crumbled
kosher salt, to taste
3-4 twists of the pepper mill


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Saute diced onion & garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil until just translucent. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sauteed onion & garlic, chopped squash, bread crumbs, chopped rosemary and 4 tablespoons olive oil. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add crumble chevre and salt & pepper and stir gently to combine.

Pour squash mixture into a greased casserole dish and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.


Serve with a dry white wine and toast to the beginnings of fall!

MIA

Have you seen me?

I have TWO recipes waiting to be posted on this site. Two delicious, awesome recipes. I've taken beautiful photographs of these dishes.

But I can't find my camera cord. Anywhere. We recently cleaned the whole house, tore apart everything and still, it's gone. I'm convinced it's hanging out with all of those missing socks and cat toys and my sanity, somewhere in the lost city of Atlantis.

It's so frustrating. I broke down today and ordered a new cord. Which naturally means that I will find the missing cord soon. C'est la vie.

Don't fret, herbivores-- as soon as the cord is delivered to my door, I'll post a new recipe. I haven't forgotten about you. In fact, I'm going slowly mad, not being able to post these recipes. I'm itching for it.

In other foodie news, I start training to be the pastry chef's assistant at the Franklin Fountain on Tuesday. I'll be learning how to make candy and ice cream and pies and cakes and all sorts of other sweet treats! I'm super-excited.

Until then, rest assured that two (vegan, gluten-free!!) recipes are going up soon.

Thank you for your patience.