Grilled Vegetable and Goat's Cheese Empanada Filling (Emeril Lagasse)

Prep Time: 55 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 85 Minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 slices of yellow squash (1/2-inch thick, sliced vertically)

2 slices of zucchini (1/2-inch thick, sliced vertically)

2 slices of eggplant (1/2-inch thick, sliced into rings)

1/2 head of endive

1 red onion ring (1/2-inch thick)

1/2 red pepper

1/2 yellow pepper

2 green onions

olive oil

essence, recipe follows

3 small tortilla rounds, julienned

1/2 to 1 cup goat cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup roasted garlic puree

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill. Preheat the fryer.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, toss the vegetables with olive oil and season with Essence. Place the vegetables on the hot grill. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the vegetables from the grill and dice. Place the diced vegetables in a mixing bowl. Fry the tortilla strips for about 2 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the fryer. Stir in enough cheese to bind the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the roasted garlic and crumble the tortillas into the filling. Stir in the parsley. To assemble, spoon about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each empanada dough rounds. Fold over to form a half-moon pie shape and crimp the edges to seal. Place the empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.
3. Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
4. Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
5. Yield: about 2/3 cup
6. Recipe from New New Orleans Cooking , by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

By RecipeOfHealth.com