Chef Shelome Bouvette Serves Up Empanadas
We met with Chef Shelome Bouvette at The Wellness Show to find out more about her restaurant, Chicha, on East Broadway. Scroll down for her Empanada recipe too! So delish!
Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking.
Chicha Restaurant interprets modern Peruvian cuisine with local, sustainable BC Ingredients.
Where do you eat in your city?
I’m a creature of habit. Pink Pearl for dim sum. Thai son for pho. Dumpling at Longs.
What would be your ideal food day?
Dim Sum all day
What trend do you wish would die?
Swishing sauce across the plate and using half the plate
What trend/s do you wish would be next?
Columbian food/more Latin
What ingredient do you always have on hand?
Butter
What’s your go-to recipe when you’re eating at home?
Homemade perogies.
What equipment do you wish you had in your kitchen?
Rational Oven
What cookbook are you loving right now?
Anything by Rick Bayless
What wine would you suggest drinking with these empanadas?
Joie Rose
Image from CTV
VEGGIE EMPANADAS:
(roasted butternut squash, kale and wild mushroom empanadas)
Stuffing:
1 small white onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely diced.
1 tablespoon olive oil.
1 butternut squash peeled, seeds removed, small dice.
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons ground turmeric powder.
1 bunch kale. Finely chopped
1 package cream cheese. ( 8 ounces)
1 pound of portabello mushrooms finely diced
1 pound of button mushrooms diced.
1 cup of parmesan cheese finely grated.
1 cup of goats cheese.
1 tablespoon truffle oil.
½ bunch Italian parsley finely chopped.
Salt and pepper
Method:
In bowl, add salt and pepper and olive oil to butternut squash. Put on tray with parchment paper and bake at 350 for about 30 min until soft. Remove from oven and cool. Set aside
In medium pot, sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add mushrooms, cumin and turmeric and cook until wilted. Take mushroom mix off heat and put in fine strainer to remove all the extra liquid then put back into pan. Add butternut squash, kale, cream cheese, parmesan and goats cheese simmer until almost all liquid removed. Cook until bubbling. Turn off and cool. Chill and ready for rolling.
Empanada Dough:
Makes enough dough for 10-12 large empanadas.
4 cups flour
1-2 teaspoons salt
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
12 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
3/4 – 1 cup water
2 egg yolks
Method:
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt and the sugar.
- Blend the butter and shortening (or lard) into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with two knives, until fairly well blended.
- Whisk the egg yolks wiht 3/4 cups water. Stir in the 1/2 cup of water/egg mixture, a little at a time until the dough starts to come together smoothly. Keep kneading the dough, adding more water/egg a little bit at a time as necessary (you made need a few tablespoons extra of water), until the dough is smooth. The dough will seem a bit shaggy until it has thoroughly chilled.
- Cover the dough with saran wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. (Dough can also be kept overnight (or a couple of days) in the refrigerator) Dough should be soft and smooth, and not elastic – if you poke a hole in it with your finger, the indentation should remain.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and roll into desired thickness.
- Roll into small balls. Let rest. Roll out in circle. Fill and fold and crimp. Place on parchment paper. Make sure to leave room to raise up a bit in oven. Bake at 350 for around 20 mins until golden.
