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Empanadas de calabaza
Nuevo León's sweet pumpkin and piloncillo turnovers
When the cold fronts reach Monterrey in November, panaderías start stacking trays of empanadas de calabaza next to the conchas, and families bake them at home for Day of the Dead and Christmas. A tender, lightly sweet pastry is folded around a thick purée of pumpkin cooked with piloncillo, cinnamon and anise, so each half-moon tastes like a spiced pumpkin pie you can hold. They are eaten with café de olla or a glass of milk. Chef's tip: cook the filling until a spoon leaves a trail across the pan; watery pumpkin turns the pastry soggy.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the filling
For the dough
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb pumpkin or butternut squash in a pan with 5 ½ oz piloncillo or dark brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise or 1 tsp aniseed, 2 cloves and 100 ml water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft.
20 minStep 2: Remove the whole spices and mash the pumpkin. Cook uncovered over a medium heat, stirring often, for 15–20 minutes, until thick and dark orange and a spoon dragged across leaves a clear path. Let it cool completely.
20 minStep 3: Mix 16 oz plain flour, 1 ¾ oz sugar, 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp salt. Rub in 5 ½ oz vegetable shortening or butter until crumbly, then add ¾ cup cold water or milk and gather into a soft dough without kneading much. Rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough to 3 mm thick and cut 16 rounds of 12 cm, re-rolling the scraps.
Step 5: Put a heaped tablespoon of filling on each round, fold into a half-moon and seal the edge with a fork. Common mistake: overfilling, which bursts the seams in the oven.
Step 6: Set on lined trays, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden on top and lightly browned underneath. Cool on a rack. They keep 4 days in a tin.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does empanadas de calabaza take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of piloncillo or dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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