Spinach Empanadas

For the Pastry:
16 oz cream cheese; softened
3/4 cup butter; softened
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling:
1/4 cup onion; finely chopped
3 garlic cloves; minced
4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Tbs bacon drippings
10 oz frozen spinach; thawed and drained
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg; ground
1 egg; beaten

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter till smooth. (Use a stand mixer, since the mixture is heavy.) Gradually add in the flour and salt. Lightly knead the dough by hand. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

In a medium skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings until the onion is tender but not brown. Mix in the bacon, spinach, cottage cheese, pepper, and nutmeg; let the mixture cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut 3-inch circles in the pastry, place 1 teaspoon of the filling in each circle, just to one side of the center. Moisten the edge of the circle with the egg, fold the dough in half over the filling to make a semicircular empanada. Seal the edges with fork tines, and poke the top of each pastry with a fork to make a vent. Put the empanadas on an ungreased cookie sheet, brush their tops with egg, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

Makes 60 empanadas.

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