Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [58]
Place 1½ teaspoons of the filling in the center of each circle. Wet your finger with a little water, then run it around the rim of one of the circles. Fold in half, creating a half-moon; press the wet edges together to seal completely, even to the corners. Place on the prepared baking sheet and continue making the empanaditas, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
Repeat the process with the second half of the dough, making 32 empanaditas in all.
Beat the remaining egg and the remaining 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Brush the empanaditas with the egg wash, then bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then serve or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Samosas
Serve these deep-fried Indian pockets as soon as they’re made; accompany them with plain yogurt mixed with chopped mint or parsley. Makes about 32
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into chunks
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (regular or low-fat but not fat-free)
¼ cup very cold water
One of the six fillings that follow, preferably Cheese, Potato, Curried Squash and Pea, or Herbed Turkey
3 to 5 cups canola oil
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in the yogurt, then the water, just until a loose dough forms and holds together. Gather it into a ball and wrap in plastic. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, make one of the six fillings that begin on section Appetizers, Nibbles, and Snacks.
Divide the dough in half; lightly dust your work surface with flour. Roll out one of the dough halves until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Cut it into sixteen 3½-inch circles, using a thick-rimmed water glass or a cookie cutter.
Place 1½ teaspoons of the filling in the center of each of the circles. Wet your finger, then run it around the rim of one of the circles. Fold the circle in half, enclosing the filling in a half-moon. Press the edges together to seal. Set aside and continue making the half-moon samosas with the remaining circles, then repeat the process with the second half of the dough.
Place the canola oil in a large, high-sided skillet or sauté pan so that it comes about 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Clip a deep-frying thermometer to the inside of the pan and heat over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350°F.
Slip a few of the samosas into the pan, taking care not to crowd them. Adjust the heat so the oil’s temperature remains constant. Fry until golden, turning once or twice with a slotted metal spoon, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and continue frying the samosas until all are done.
Pierogi
These boiled Polish dumplings are a little slippery but still very luscious. Serve them the classic way: drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with poppy seeds. Makes about 36
1 cup warm water
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, or more as necessary
One of the six fillings that follow, preferably Cheese or Potato
Whisk the water, eggs, canola oil, and salt in a large bowl until fairly uniform. Stir in the flour until a dough forms, adding more in 2-tablespoon increments if the dough is still too sticky.
Knead the dough in the bowl a few times until smooth, then dust the work surface with flour and turn the dough onto it. Knead about 10 minutes, digging into the dough with one palm while pulling with the other hand, adding more flour should the dough become sticky. Once it is smooth and soft, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, make one of the six fillings.
Unwrap the dough and divide it in half. Dust the work surface again lightly with flour, then roll one of the pieces out until it’s 1/8 inch thick. Cut it into sixteen 3½-inch circles, using a cookie cutter or a thick-rimmed drinking