Welcome to this years’ Harvest Fest with CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture). Every Saturday, Bay Area chefs teach free cooking classes at the beautiful and amazing Ferry Building Farmers Market.
Pumpkin Curry Empanadas – makes 20
Revised from Sunset 2012
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 ounces cubed peeled baking pumpkin or butternut or kabocha squash
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and turmeric
1/4 cup currants, softened 10 minutes in hot water to cover
Easy Pie Dough or 3 sheets frozen store-bought pie dough
1 large egg, slightly beaten
Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Preheat oven to 375°. Put pumpkin in a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon oil and dash of salt. Use your hands to coat all the pieces. Place on sheet pan and roast, uncovered, turning once, till tender when pierced, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer onion to a medium mixing bowl. Drain currants and add. Add warm pumpkin and mix well, mashing with a pastry cutter to create a slightly chunky mixture. Working with one pie-dough disk at a time, roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-in.-thick round. Using a 4-in. ring cutter, cut out 20 circles, re-rolling scraps. Mix 1 tbsp. water into egg and brush onto dough rounds. Spoon 1 tbsp. pumpkin mixture into center of each round, fold over, and seal edges with tines of a fork. Brush the outside with egg wash. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat (permanent parchment). Arrange empanadas on sheets, spaced slightly apart. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with cilantro chutney.
Easy Pie Dough
3 cups all purpose white flour (For gluten free option: substitute Cup 4 Cup)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup cold, cubed unsalted butter
Whirl together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse into pea-size pieces. Drizzle 2/3 cup very cold water over crumbs and pulse just until moistened.
Turn dough onto a work surface and gather into a ball, turning to combine any dry crumbs.
Divide dough in half, form each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes.
Cilantro Dipping Sauce
3-4 cloves garlic
1 one-inch piece of ginger
½ cup fresh mint, leaves and stems removed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and stems removed
1-2 serrano peppers, seeds and vein removed
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon brown sugar
juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Add ingredients to food processor and pulse to combine.
