Trio of Empanadas (Meat, Vegetable, and Cheese, Fruit, and Nut) Recipe

Make the dough: Sift flour with the salt. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well at the center and add the beaten egg and 2 tablespoons ice water. Stir with a fork until dough starts to come together. Add more water if dough is dry and crumbly.

Prepare the dough: Transfer dough to a work surface and knead just until it forms a ball. Do not over knead. Divide into 2 portions. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the meat filling: Heat a skillet and add oil. Cook chorizo until golden brown. Transfer to a plate. Return skillet to heat and add ground beef; cook until browned. Season with pepper. Add the cooked ground beef to the chorizo. Heat the skillet again with more oil. Sauté carrot, onion, celery, and garlic for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add ground beef and chorizo. Pour in chicken stock. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Put mixture in a food processor and pulse 6 times to roughly chop the mixture. Stir in drained peas. Season with salt as needed. 

Make the vegetable filling: Heat a skillet and add 2 tablespoons oil. Sauté mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme and cook 5 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl. Return the pan to the heat and add remaining oil. Cook squash and onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened. Add back the mushrooms and pour in the wine. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in spinach. Cool.

Make the cheese, fruit, and nut filling: In a saucepan, combine wine, figs, honey, and rosemary. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost completely evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and cool. When cool, remove the rosemary sprig and add brie, nuts, and lemon zest. Blend to combine.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with greaseproof or wax paper. 

Thaw the dough. Roll out each dough into 12–inch squares. Place one sheet on a tray and cover with greaseproof paper. Place the second sheet of dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Cut each sheet of dough into twelve 3x4-inch pieces. 

Brush the edges with egg wash. Place a heaping tablespoon of the desired filling on half of the dough. Fold over to form a rectangular pouch. Seal the edges with a fork. Do the same for all the dough.

Arrange the filled pastries on a greased baking tray. Brush tops with egg wash.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate pans once, halfway through cooking.