Veggie Empanadas with Olive Oil Pastry

Wild Mushroom Empanada Filling:

• 1 cup zucchini, finely diced
• ½ pound assorted wild mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbs. Wild Mushroom & Sage Infused olive oil
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oil
• 5 Tbs. ice water
• 1 large egg, beaten

Heat the Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallot for 2 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add in the mushrooms and sauté until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Add the zucchini and sauté for 2 minutes until most of the moisture is cooked off. Add the mixture to a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside to cool. Once the mixture is warm, add the beaten egg, cheese, and bread crumbs, stirring to combine. Set aside and proceed with making the empanada dough.

 

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, mixing with a fork to form a crumbly mixture with pea-sized lumps of flour. Slowly drizzle in the ice cold water, mixing as it's poured. Dump the mixture on to a large sheet of parchment paper, and with floured hands, begin to form the dough in to a large flat disk. Knead gently, incorporating any loose scraps. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the disk and roll the dough out to ⅛" thick.

  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the empanadas on the sheet with a small amount of space between. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm, or at room temperature. You can also wrap them in paper and freeze for later!  

 

Makes 10 empanadas.