Pie shells: You can use your own favorite recipe, rolled out, or 3 (9- inch) frozen pie shells, defrosted and flattened.
Ingredients
- ¾ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup small-diced yellow onion
- ¾ cup small-diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped fresh purple plums
- 1 cup kale, deveined and chopped thin
- 1 cup chicken or veggie broth
- 1 cup fresh oven-roasted corn
- ½ cup chopped dried figs (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (I toasted mine with unsalted butter and whole cloves, then removed cloves before folding in the rest of the ingredients.)
Preparation
Use a round mold at least 4 inches diameter and cut out several rounds from the pie dough, keeping these finger-food-size.
For the Filling:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Sauté until clear and soft. Add garlic and spices and continue sautéing for another 1—2 minutes.
Add kale and plums; stir to combine.
Add broth of choice. If you choose a low-sodium broth you can add a pinch of Himalayan salt for extra flavor. Simmer the mix in broth; the plums will release their juices and marry into the broth. Stir and allow some of the moisture to cook off (about 10 minutes on medium heat).
Remove from heat, drain ingredients and set aside in a large bowl.
Add figs, toasted walnuts, cilantro and corn to mix and combine. Allow mix to come to room temperature.
To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 400°F and put rack in the middle of oven. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Use about 2 tablespoons of filling in each prepped pastry round. Use a pastry brush with melted butter to seal edges before folding over. Fold over and gently seal by pressing along edge with tines of a fork.
Brush the entire empanada with butter and pierce top once with a fork.
Place in oven, check on progress at 20 minutes, the crust should be light golden brown with slightly darker edges. Depending on dough and oven this can vary.
About this recipe
Tip: Serve warm alongside a fig balsamic reduction for amazing flavor combo!
