Orlando has some pretty amazing food and I am forever grateful because I love to eat. Something that makes Orlando super unique is the abundance of food trucks - it is so cool! We certainly didn't have anything like it growing up in Southern Illinois. We did, however, have Winston's Bagels. (a bagel cart. on the strip. for all the SIU kids.) Not quite as cool as a food truck. My favorite food truck, hands down, is La Empanada. They serve the best empanada's of my life! Luckily, they are parked down the street from Rifle every Thursday and if you work locally, you get a free mini dessert empanada! Dark chocolate and sea salt? Nutella with strawberries? Praise.
I love empanada's because there is no end to the creativity of what goes inside - it is such a good chance to experiment with what flavors you enjoy together most. I saw this recipe on
A Couple Cooks, again. (I am obsessed with their recipes lately!) The original calls for a pizza dough as the shell to make it into a calzone but, to save time, I substituted a pre-made empanada dough. I'm thinking this recipe is a great side dish to the tomatillo soup we posted last week - add in a great cilantro-lime quinoa salad (recipe coming soon!) and it is the perfect combination for a summer dinner party!
OR they are amazing all by themselves. I won't tell you how many I ate in one sitting...
4 large-ish poblano peppers
1 red onion
1 fresh corn on the cob or 1 cup frozen corn
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
½ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese
1 egg
HOW TO MAKE:
Turn your oven to BROIL
Cut the red onion into thin slices (like you would for a hamburger!)
Put the onions and whole peppers on a baking sheet and cover with enough olive oil to coat.
BROIL for about 10 minutes, until the tops start to look blackened. Flip the peppers and toss the onions around then BROIL for another 10 minutes, until the peppers are blistery.
Take the onions and peppers out of the oven and let them cool down.
Turn your oven down to 450.
If you’re using fresh corn, take this time the cut the corn off of the cob.
After the peppers are cool enough to touch, cut them into thin slices.
Put all of the vegetables into a bowl and add seasonings, including the freshly chopped cilantro. Stir until combined.
Try not to eat all of it right now because it smells and looks SO GOOD. I, of course, forgot to take a picture of this step because I was so anxious to finish so I could eat them all!
Lay out the empanada dough. On half of the dough, add a little cheese with a little bit of the pepper mixture. Fold over and seal with a fork. Do this with all 10 empanada shells. (I sometimes have a little bit of pepper mixture left – eat it. It’s the best.)
Beat the egg with a little bit of water and brush on top of the empanada’s. (This makes the tops brown and beautiful!) Carefully place onto an oiled baking sheet.
Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes, when the tops are browned.
Vicky
