Mushroom, Shallot, and Fontina Empanadas

As I go through the different empanada fillings I prepared, I think I may have to declare this one my personal favorite. While they all turned out quite well, I’m always a fan of anything with mushrooms. On top of that, the savory-sweet flavor here from the inclusion of raisins and balsamic vinegar is right up my alley. And it’s really quite an easy preparation, too, for quite a complex resulting flavor. If you’re planning on making smaller empanadas, you may want to dice the mushrooms and shallots instead of slicing them to make it easier to get exactly the right-sized scoop of filling.

Mushroom, Shallot, and Fontina Empanadas (adapted from Laylita’s Recipes)
Yield: about 20 large or 30 small empanadas

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 5 – 6 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 ounces fontina cheese, grated
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 recipe empanada dough
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large sautee pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat, then add 5 – 6 large shallots, thinly sliced and 1 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced, and sautee until the shallots soften and the mushrooms release and then re-absorb their juices, about 15 minutes.
3. Add 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced, and sautee until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Add 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, and cook, scraping to deglaze the pan, until the balsamic has reduced, a couple minutes, then remove from heat.
5. Stir in 2 ounces fontina cheese, grated until thoroughly combined.
6. Add salt and pepper, to taste. At this point, the filling can be refrigerated or used immediately (I recommend refrigerating the filling for at least a little bit to make the empanadas easier to fill).
7. Brush a little of 1 egg white, beaten around the edge of each disc of dough.
8. Place some filling in the center of each disc of dough (be sure not to over-stuff), and then fold the disc shut, and press the edges together. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal (alternatively, you can fold the edges around with a rope pinch), then place on a baking sheet.
9. Brush the tops of the empanadas with 1 egg yolk, beaten.
10. Bake until golden-brown, about 20 – 40 minutes, depending on the size of the empanadas.