Like many other ingredients in the history of cooking, blue cheese came about unexpectedly. It is explained that a cheese maker left a half-eaten bar in a cave and when he returned, it had generated mold due to the conditions of the place. Likewise, the cheese was transformed into what we know today as Roquefort. This name is called thanks to the homonymous place in France where these events took place. In this opportunity, we want to teach you how to use this delicious cheese to fill some empanadillas. We will combine it with a little fresh cheese and onions to lighten the flavor a little, which is very intense. In this article we teach you how to make easy and fast Roquefort empanadas. Let’s cook!
Ingredients to make Roquefort empanadas:
• 6 empanada discs
• 100 grams of mozzarella cheese
• 40 grams of blue cheese
• 1 teaspoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• 1 small onion
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• ½ cup of milk (120 milliliters)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 25 cubic centimeters of sweet wine
• 1 egg (to paint)
How to make Roquefort empanadas:
To start with the blue cheese empanadas recipe, first peel and chop the onion. You should know that we will prepare it caramelized to generate contrast with the strong flavor of the cheese. To do this, sauté the onion in a very hot pan with 1 teaspoon of oil and 1 of butter. When translucent, lower heat to medium and if it sticks, add 1 tablespoon hot water. If it sticks, repeat the procedure adding 1 tablespoon of hot water so that it detaches from the bottom, but not too much so that it boils. Repeat about 4 or 5 times until it is well browned, as you see in the image. At that moment, raise the heat to the maximum and, when the pan is hot, add the white wine. When you smell sweet, rather than sour from the alcohol, remove the onions from the heat and set them aside. Prepare a simple white sauce by dissolving cornstarch in cold milk. Next, heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring, or in a pot over medium heat until it thickens. It should be very consistent as you see in the image. Reserve it to cool down.
Tip: if you don’t consume milk, you can make the sauce with water, since we are only looking for a preparation that binds the filling of the Roquefort empanadas.
Mix the mozzarella cheese with the fresh cheese. Add the cold white sauce, the seasonings (nutmeg and oregano) and the caramelized onions.
Fill your empanadillas with Roquefort cheese, previously moistening the edges of the disc. Then apply some pressure and form the shape you want, for example, join the two ends to form a round shape.
Take the onion and Roquefort cheese empanadas to a previously greased roasting pan and then brush them with the lightly beaten egg so they brown. Cook them in a preheated oven at 200ºC – 220ºC for about 20 minutes until they get a nice color.
Tip: don’t open the oven until they are golden, on the contrary, the cold air could cause them to explode.
After the time, serve the Roquefort empanadas. To eat!
How to make blue cheese and celery empanadas?
If you want to make a variation of the filling, you can combine the Roquefort with the celery. It is as simple as washing and chopping 2 celery sticks, removing the leaves and sautéing with the onion in the first steps. Add it when the onion is transparent, before you start the process of characterizing it. In addition, you can also add walnuts and apples, like in the Waldorf salad.
