Don't Cry For Me Argentina

“Are you sure you want to have a big dinner party on Saturday?” I typed.

But I knew what her answer would be before it landed in my inbox.

“Yes. I need to stay focused,” She wrote.

I knew because it was the same answer I would have given.

The simple truth of cooking is that it’s not always a means to an end. The act itself is what we seek.

In The Solace of Open Spaces, author Gretel Ehrlich writes of the healing power of the vast Wyoming landscape. She’d moved there after suffering a personal tragedy and found to her surprise that backbreaking ranch work woke her up rather than dulled her senses as she’d hoped. “The vitality of the people I was working with flushed out what had become a hallucinatory rawness inside me. I threw away my clothes and bought new ones; I cut my hair. The arid country was a clean slate. Its absolute indifference steadied me.”

This weekend my friend’s succor would be found closer than the red-earthed mesas of a high desert.

“Are you sure I can’t bring something?” I asked.

“I’ve got it covered. I roasted beets last night for empanadas.”


I pictured her in her yellow kitchen rolling out empanada dough on a floured counter top, reaching over to gently stir the filling sautéing on the stove; cutting circles from the dough, stuffing the discs, pinching the edges, baking. The slow, methodical process rounding off the edges of her worry.

These days the paychecks don’t quite stretch two weeks. An aging parent asks me now, “Are you a neighbor?” And so, those quiet moments in the kitchen caramelizing onions, shelling favas, stirring risotto, corral my thoughts. The unhurried, familiar tasks point me inward and leave me centered.

On this morning, a husband’s pathology results didn’t arrive as promised, a beloved daughter was leaving too soon for a year abroad, a son’s wife was in labor an ocean away and a father with all his blustery presence was arriving for a visit in the morning.

“I need to cook.” She said, simply.

And I understood.

Later, the warm embrace of friendship around the dinner table, laughter. As we raise our glasses to that singular good fortune, warm empanadas waiting, we both say a silent toast to effort well spent and the solace of counter spaces.


This recipe for Swiss Chard, Beet and Goat Cheese Empanadas comes from www.laylita.com.

12 medium size or 20 small empanada discs

4 small beets, peeled, boiled until tender and diced

1 bunch of swiss chard, chopped

1 cup crumbled goat cheese

½ white onion, sliced

2 tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbs finely chopped fresh oregano

1 egg, yolk and white separated and lightly whisked

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil and sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes.
2. Add the chopped swiss chard and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from the heat, cool down and mix with the diced beets, crumbled goat cheese and chopped oregano.
4. To assemble the empanadas spoon the stuffing on to the center of each empanada disc.
5. Brush the inside edges of the empanada discs with the egg whites, this is will help them seal better and keep the filling from leaking while baking .
6. Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges, use a fork to help seal the empanadas.
7. Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give a nice golden glow when they bake.
8. Chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes, this will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
10. Serve warm with Creme Fraiche Sauce

Creme Fraiche Sauce

Ingredients:

8 oz crème fraiche

1 medium sized bunch of mint, about ½ cup coarsely chopped

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro

¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves

2 garlic cloves

1-2 serrano or other hot peppers, seeded

3 tbs lemon juice, about ½ lemon

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend well, the sauce will be very liquid after you blend it, but if you return it to the refrigerator it will thicken.

If you can find frozen empanada discs in California - please let me know where. If like me, you live in an area where empanada discs are non-existent, here is a recipe also from Laylita that is delicious and flaky.

Empanada Dough

Ingredients for 15 medium size or 25 small empanada discs:

3 cups all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 12 pieces

1 egg

4-5 tbs water

Preparation:

1. Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.
2. Add the butter, egg and water until a clumpy dough forms.
3. Form a ball and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
5. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.