One of the best parts of Thanksgiving doesn’t even take place on Thursday. I (and I’m assuming many others) look forward to the leftovers as much as the original meal. Friday always includes a Thanksgiving sandwich (which you can actually get a version of in Delaware all year long at Capriotti‘s called the “Bobby” mmm). Saturday tends to be my own version of the Wawa Turkey Bowl. By Sunday, I’m starting to run out of creative ways to mush my leftovers into a new meal.
The makers of Clos de los Siete came to my rescue! Clos de los Siete is an Argentine red wine that is made from seven vineyards in the foothills of the Andes. The wine is a mixture of 57% malbec, 15% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon, 10% syrah and 3% petit verdot that is a really nice complement to turkey. Azul Argentine Bistro in New York created a recipe that uses Thanksgiving leftovers along with some spices to create Wine Infused Thanksgiving leftover Empanadas, how fantastic does that sound?
Ingredients:
- 1 green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 pound turkey breast, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup Clos de los Siete wine
- 1-2 packages store-bought empanada discs (note: mine have annatto in them which is why they are orange)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup water
The empanada discs can be found in the freezer section of most supermarkets. They come in a pack of ten, and I ended up using 16 to make this.
Chop all of your veggies. (I used my KitchenAid food processor for the first time to chop the peppers, onion, and garlic and I was ecstatic! Look how nicely chopped that all is with minimal effort by me!) Also prepare your sweet potato and garlic.
Prepare your spices.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat with one tablespoon olive oil. Add in the prepared garlic, onion, red pepper, green pepper, and sweet potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the wine, turkey breast, salt, black pepper, cumin and smoked paprika, stirring to combine.
Cook over medium heat for ten minutes, or until thickened with most of the wine absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Add some flour to your counter and lay out the empanada discs. Fill one bowl with water. Crack the egg in a separate bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of the empanada disc.
Dip a finger into the water and spread it around the edges of the disc.
Fold the disc in half, then seal using the tines of a fork to close.
(If you want to freeze the empanadas, do after sealing the empanadas and before brushing with the egg wash. Freeze on a cookie sheet, then add to a zip top freezer bag. To reheat, remove from the freezer, add to a cookie sheet, and begin the steps from here. Just add a few minutes to the cook time.) Brush each empanada with the egg wash and add to a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving (they are super hot).
Serve with a glass of Clos de los Siete.
I served the empanadas with some of my cranberry sauce as a dip.
Oh. My. God. This was SO good! The spices transform traditional Thanksgiving ingredients into an absolutely delicious Argentinian inspired meal! And the wine was the perfect complement. My only suggestion would actually be to use mashed sweet potatoes instead of a raw diced sweet potato. The puree would allow it to really fill in the empanada nicely. What a fantastic use for leftovers!
Ingredients
- 1 green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 pound turkey breast, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup Clos de los Siete wine
- 1-2 packages store-bought empanada discs (note: mine have annatto in them which is why they are orange)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Chop all of your veggies. Also prepare your sweet potato and garlic.
- Prepare your spices.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat with one tablespoon olive oil. Add in the prepared garlic, onion, red pepper, green pepper, and sweet potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the wine, turkey breast, salt, black pepper, cumin and smoked paprika, stirring to combine.
- Cook over medium heat for ten minutes, or until thickened with most of the wine absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Add some flour to your counter and lay out the empanada discs. Fill one bowl with water. Crack the egg in a separate bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of the empanada disc.
- Dip a finger into the water and spread it around the edges of the disc.
- Fold the disc in half, then seal using the tines of a fork to close.
- (If you want to freeze the empanadas, do after sealing the empanadas and before brushing with the egg wash. Freeze on a cookie sheet, then add to a zip top freezer bag. To reheat, remove from the freezer, add to a cookie sheet, and begin the steps from here. Just add a few minutes to the cook time.)
- Brush each empanada with the egg wash and add to a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let stand for 15 minutes before serving (they are super hot).
OMG, looks fantastic!!! Can’t wait for Thursday so I can have leftover turkey! 😛
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