Prioritizing time has never been a strength for me. I tend to categorize more than I should as a “priority” and find myself trying to cram as much into as little time as possible. I’m working on this. Yesterday at church, our pastor spoke on cultivating childlike wonder and named speed to be the enemy of wonder. So true. I know it’s not realistic to always be unhurried, present, and truly savoring every moment, but I’m trying. Sometimes this means saying “no” to more than I want to, but I’m learning that this is okay.
Slowing down also means that as much as I love the idea of making everything from scratch, sometimes short-cuts are necessary. Frozen puff-pastry is one of the best short-cuts around, don’t you agree? Light and flaky dough that puffs up to golden perfection and turns the simple into fancy. The excitement and delight from my kids when they saw these little puff pastry empanadas for dinner made me even more glad I hadn’t spent the time on homemade crust.
The filling here is lightly adapted from Deborah Madison’s The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, one of my favorite cookbooks for everyday cooking. It begins with garlicky greens and olives, a touch of paprika, and a handful of grated provolone holds it all together. I doubled the filling and tossed the leftovers with pasta for a easy dinner the next day. Not sure whether we liked the empanadas or the pasta more.
On a closing note and since we’re on the topic of shortcuts, I think sometimes it can be nice when someone else takes care of the meal planning for me. Emily over at Rainbow Delicious puts together beautiful meal plans featuring various bloggers every Monday. Last week she featured G&D so see here if you’re interested- thanks so much, Emily!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 5 cups chopped mixed greens (I used chard and kale)
- ¼ kosher salt
- a few grinds black pepper
- ¼ cup green olives, sliced
- ¼ cup grated provolone
- 1 beaten egg, divided
- 1 14-oz package puff pastry (I highly recommendDufourbrand)
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes and saute until onions begins to turn golden, about 4 minutes. Add the greens, salt, and pepper, and cook until wilted and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Add the olives, provolone, and 1 tablespoon of the egg and mix until olives are evenly distributed throughout. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12 by 15 inch rectangle. Use a 3 to 4 inch round cutter to make as many circles as will fit. Gather scraps and re-roll pastry to form additional circles.
- Place about 1½ tablespoons filling onto half of each circle, being sure to leave an edge for sealing. Lightly brush some of the beaten egg along the edge of the circle. Fold the pastry over and use a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds and filling. Brush the tops with the remaining egg.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until empanadas are puffed and lightly golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Aysegul Sanford says
I think, being in the moment is a struggle for most of us and it is true that to be able to do that we have to say no more than we would like to. Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism is a really good and helpful book in the subject, if you’d be interested. 🙂
Puff pastry is a life saver. I cannot agree more with what you said: It turns simple into fancy in no time. Though I have never thought about using it for making empenadas. Such a genius idea.
Loving all the hand/process shots in there. So helpful. <3
Emily says
I just looked up the book and ordered it from the library. Thanks for the rec- looks like a book I need to read! Thanks, sweet friend!
Annie says
Oh man. It’s been so long since I’ve had a nice, golden, oily empanada. I love that you stuffed these with veggies.
Emily says
So many endless variations out there to try with empanadas. They are so much fun to make too! Thanks so much for stopping by, Annie!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I totally agree. Puff pastry is the perfect shortcut Emily. It’s one I often use and I’m always happy with the results.
Sometimes saying no is the best thing. I often spread myself too thin and as a result I’m stressed and unhappy. This year I’ve decided to take more time for myself and not be so rigid with my schedule. Hoping I can keep at it. Take it from me, time flies so fast with the kids. You’ll remember the fun things you did together forever and so will they. You won’t remember a deadline you missed or a post for the blog that didn’t happen on time.
Emily says
Those are such the words that I need to hear, Mary Ann. Thank you. As a goal oriented person, it’s hard to let go, but I’m learning that it’s just not possible to do everything. My son is turning 10 in a couple weeks and I can hardly believe it- it’s so cliche, but truly time flies. Thanks always for your constant encouragement.
Jessie Snyder says
I love that insight on speed and joy, pocketing that line to remind myself with later – thank you for sharing Emily. These little puffs look like pure magic, I hope you and your sweet family enjoyed them tons and are having a cozy winter up there! <3
Emily says
Thank you, Jessie! I’m off to Trader Joe’s later day to stock up on pistachios and hazelnuts and going to try a few different nut milks inspired by you! Happy weekend! xo
lynn says
Deborah Madison is my absolute favorite!
Emily says
Me too, Lynn! Did you see that she has a new book coming out? I can’t wait for it.