I have lots of entertaining this month. A cookie exchange, a book club party, a “night before the night before party,” Christmas Eve with bingo and trashy appetizers, and finally a Swedish Christmas Eve dinner gathering with family and friends. I picked this savory turnovers recipe to experiment with for a few reasons:
A. Squash – I still have three squash and one pumpkin to use up.
B. I wanted to use The Humble Goat Cheese that I work with. I thought about using their Cranberry Chevre and had it out on the counter, thinking these turnovers would be a fun nod to Thanksgiving flavors – (because why do we only eat that meal once a year when it’s so delicious? But – that’s a blog post for another day) but – I started eating it little by little with my fingers first and then on crackers until half was gone – so I got another log and went with the plain.
C. I was introduced to R&R Cultivation mushrooms on a Makers of Minnesota Podcast. I had them as a guest at one of the Makers of Minnesota dinners I hosted at The Lexington and knew I wanted to cook with their beautiful Shiitake mushrooms that I saw on the produce shelf at Lunds & Byerlys.
D. The pairing of The Salad Girl Curry Fig Vinaigrette (another client) as a dipping sauce came when I was cleaning up from cooking and was putting the sage back in the refrigerator. I usually have 4 or 5 Salad Girl Dressings on hand, and the curry fig is excellent drizzled on cooked squash or a cheese board drizzled over goat cheese, so I figured if the savory turnovers needed a sauce for dipping, the Curry Fig would be perfect, and I was right.
Now … onto the recipe. I made a half batch pictured here, making six savory turnovers that I paired with a light salad for a cozy dinner on a chilly winter day.
Ingredients
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2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
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2 Tbsp butter
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1 small onion chopped
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1 box R & R Cultivated Shiitake mushrooms, rough chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves chopped
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Salt and freshly ground pepper
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One 2-pound butternut squash — peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
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2 sheets - 14 ounces all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
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8 oz log The Humble Goat plain fresh goat cheese
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1 large egg, lightly beaten
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1 bottle Salad Girl Curry Fig Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. Saute the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened about 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and cook, stirring often, until their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the sage and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium bowl.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper..
- In a large bowl, toss the squash with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add the squash to the onions and mushrooms and toss.
- Spread the squash on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add the squash to the onions and mushrooms and toss.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out the puff pastry to a 12-by-8-10 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the pastry into six 4-inch squares and repeat with the second sheet
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the shiitake-squash mixture onto each square and top with 1 tablespoon of the Humble Goat plain goat cheese. Lightly brush the edge of the squares with some of the beaten egg. Fold the squares over to form triangles and crimp the edges decoratively with a fork.
- Brush any remaining egg wash over the tops of the turnovers and bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.
- Serve alongside a ramekin of The Salad Girl's Curry Fig Vinaigrette as a dipping sauce
Find more appetizer recipes here.
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