By May arrives and the end-of-school-year machinery begins: field trips and science fairs and end-of-year concerts and the general escalation of activity that precedes the stop of activity. Diego is finishing fourth grade, which means next year is fifth grade, which means the middle school years are approaching. I look at him sometimes and try to see the man he's becoming and I can see it — the shape of it, the outline — and it makes me proud and also makes me want to slow down. You can't slow down. The only response to your children growing up is to be as present as possible while it's happening.
He's running with me three mornings a week now. We've extended to three miles on the longer runs. He doesn't talk, I don't talk, we run in the six AM quiet of the neighborhood with just the sound of our feet. On Wednesday he ran three miles in twenty-four minutes, which for a ten-year-old who hasn't been training long is genuinely good. I said nothing. I noted it internally. He ran back into the house and ate breakfast and went to school without fanfare. This is the model. You do the work. You go about your day.
I made tamales in May, which is unusual. Usually the tamale production is Christmas and the occasional small batch in between. But this week I had a craving for pork and green chile tamales and the freezer is stocked and the masa was available, so I did it. Three dozen, alone, on a Saturday morning. I worked from seven until noon, filling and folding, and when the pot was steaming I made myself a bowl of posole from the leftover pork broth and ate it at the counter. It's a good way to spend a Saturday morning. It produces something that lasts a week and makes everyone in the house happy at dinner. These are reliable outcomes. I value reliable outcomes.
The tamales were good — they always are — but if you don’t have five hours and three dozen corn husks in your future, these chicken spinach poblano empanadas get you to a similar place. Same hand-filling rhythm, same green chile heat, same stack of something real in the freezer when the week hits. They’re the kind of project that justifies a quiet Saturday morning at the counter, and the avocado jalapeño dip is the thing that makes everyone show up to the table without being called.
Chicken Spinach Poblano Empanadas with Avocado Jalapeño Dip
Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 12 empanadas
Ingredients
Empanada Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup ice water, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced small
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 poblano peppers, roasted, seeded, and diced
- 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Assembly:
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 tablespoon water
Avocado Jalapeño Dip:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the dough. Whisk flour, salt, and smoked paprika in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with ice water and vinegar, then pour into the flour mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, adding more ice water a tablespoon at a time if needed. Gather into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Roast the poblanos. Char poblano peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning occasionally, until blistered and blackened all over, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and dice.
- Cook the filling. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season diced chicken with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add diced poblanos and spinach, stirring until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese until melted and evenly combined, then fold in Monterey Jack. Let filling cool to room temperature.
- Assemble the empanadas. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 5-inch rounds using a bowl or cutter. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling on one half of each round. Fold dough over and press edges with a fork to seal. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.
- Bake. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the top of each empanada with egg wash. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown.
- Make the dip. While empanadas bake, combine avocados, jalapeño, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and lime as needed.
- Serve. Let empanadas cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with avocado jalapeño dip on the side.
Nutrition (per serving, 1 empanada with dip)
Calories: 385 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 23g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 520mg