Make- Ahead-Appetizer: Empanadas

Empanadas

This Spanish appetizer can be made ahead and frozen, then baked when needed.  These pastry pockets lend themselves to any filling you like. The chicken filling in this recipe is designed for a universal palette, so feel free to spice it up with sausage, a dash of cumin, or go strictly vegetarian.  With this pastry recipe, the variety of fillings is endless and up to you.  Use empanadas as an appetizer, or serve as a compliment to soups and salads.

½ cup butter

1 cup flour

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup cooked, minced chicken

1/3 can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup onion, minced, sautéed

¼ cup roughly chopped parsley

Paprika

In a mixing bowl, prepare the pastry by combining the butter, flour and cream cheese.  Chill the pastry for 1 hour or over night.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut into 2 inch rounds using a biscuit or cookie cutter.  In a small bowl, mix together the chicken, soup, onion and parsley.  Place 1 teaspoon of the chicken mixture on each round and fold the round over, pressing together the edges with a fork. Sprinkle each empanada with paprika and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until lightly brown.  Serve while warm or at room temperature.  Yields approximately 2 dozen empanadas. (The empanadas can be frozen after baking in a zip lock bag.  When ready to serve, thaw the empanadas in the refrigerator and reheat on a baking sheet in a 200 oven for 10 – 15 minutes.)