Kohlrabi and Patty Pan Squash Empanadas

Kohlrabi is one strange looking vegetable. It's the one on the right that looks like a crazy purple turnip with long stems poking out every which way. This variety is called a 'Purple Danube.' I like that. I think it's beautiful in its weirdness. Patty pan too. It's a  summer squash that's either yellow or yellow with green specks that looks like a flying saucer. Both vegetables are mellow in flavor and endlessly versatile. 

I was told kohlrabi is nice just chopped up raw and served in a salad. But that just sounds so boring. The past couple days in Brooklyn have been almost chilly, and I'm just getting plain sick of salads. I wanted something more substantial. I think I'm craving the autumn air and I love cooking when it's not sweltering outside. I found a recipe online at: http://eatdrinkbetter.com that mixed kohlrabi and squash together and use it for stuffing in an empanada. Perfect. This recipe is probably the most labor intensive one thus far on this blog. Luckily, my friend Eunice helped me chop up the vegetables into tiny tiny small dice. (She also took these amazing photos!)

Here's the recipe: 

2 medium kohlrabies (peeled and chopped into small dice*)

*small dice is 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 inch cubes to be exact

2 summer squashes (peeled and chopped into small dice)

2T olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

2 T peeled and minced ginger

about 3 ready made pie crusts ( i got lazy and didn't fee like making empanada dough from scratch)

1 egg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 2 T of olive oil in a saute pan. When heated, add the kohlrabi along with the garlic and ginger. Saute for a couple minutes and then add the squash. Saute for another couple minutes until the veggies are a bit tender but still have a nice crunch to them. Set aside. 

Roll out the pie crust dough onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, make the dough thinner than you would a pie crust. Use a cereal bowl or some sort of round circle that is 6 inches in width to cut out shapes. Put dough on a parchment lined baking pan and scoop about 1T of kohlrabi/squash mixture into middle of dough circle. Fold over to make a half circle and use a fork to press the edges down. Coat the empanada with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you so desire. 

Bake for about 10 minutes or until crust looks golden brown.