#sarahvspie

[kookingwithkitties]

Round 2: Sarah vs. Pie

Last week, it was HAND PIES!!! Wootie woot! What kind of hand pies, you ask? Delicious ones! What kind of delicious ones?! The empanada kind!

Of course, first things first. The dough.  Yes. This again. Pulse together 2 ¼ C flour, 1t salt, ½ C cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes), 1 egg, ⅓ C ice water and 1T vinegar. As for the water, I measure in a large measuring cup, add ice and put it in the freezer while I am doing the other things on the list. In regards to the vinegar, since I didn’t have white vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar. Vodka will also work. Since each of these (vinegars and vodka) have a lot of water content while processing the dough, the alcohol will burn off in the oven and give a more flaky crust when baked!

Once all pulsed, form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

While the dough is chilling, grab some fresh veggies – I like leeks, mushrooms, red bell peppers, garlic and onions. *Although, I think next time spinach or kale would be a good idea too! Duly noted.*

Get them all nice and chopped.

In a large sauté pan, add some olive oil and sauté the leeks and onions. Add a dash of salt to make ‘em sweat. Add in the garlic.

Once translucent and nice and soft, add in them shrooms and peppers. Sauté.  Add some spices like cumin, crushed red peppers, cayenne, black pepper, etc.

Once sautéed until done, turn off the heat and let the favors meld while you get to working on the little pie crusts.

Take the dough of the fridge to rest for 5 minutes at room temp. Have some beer. Eat some cheese. Entertain yourself.

Make sure you pre-heat your oven to 400⁰F!

Now for the fun stuff! Lightly flour your pastry mat. You can do this one of two ways. Number 1: You can roll the dough out until it’s about ½ to ¼ inches thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles. However, I find that it is easier for me to do this method: Cut the dough in half, roll each half into a 10”-12” rope. Cut each rope into 6 pieces. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into a circle, or in my case, mostly squares...

Fill each circle (or square thing) with about 1-2T sautéed filling. Top with some shredded sharp white cheddar cheese.

Fold the circle in half to make a half moon shape. Press the edges together with a fork to seal completely. No skill required for this! It’s nothing like trying to crimp pie crust haha

Repeat for remaining dough and fillings. Prepare an egg wash with one egg and 1T water. Brush over the empanadas, especially the edges.

Throw them bad lads in the oven for 20 minutes.

Take them out. You can try and let them cool, but I dare you to try and wait once you smell them! Dip in a marinara sauce or top with Sriracha or Chipotle Tabasco. ENJOY!!! And try to stop at 2. So delicious!

And so, we finish at: Round 2 – Sarah 2, Pie 0. Who will be victorious next week in Sarah vs. Pie? Check back to find out!

[kookingwithkitties]

Sarah vs. Pie

In the Right Corner: The Kitchen –

Cute and quaint with little counter space. Outdated gas oven from the 1940’s. 2 Ankle-rubbing cats stalking the floor, hunting for fallen bits of food.

  In the Left Corner: The Contender –

Beer snob, cat lover and veggie food junkie extreme. University employee by day. Pie lover by night. Too old for Lincoln logs. Too young for knitting.

  The challenge:

To cook a different pie a week for every week in 2014, starting January 1st. 53 pies. Sweet pies. Savory pies. Hand pies. You name it.

  Can it be done? How far will it go? We can only read (and drool) and see…

  Sarah vs. Pie. Coming soon to a blog near you…