Mushrooms Provide A Savory Twist In Classic Turnovers
Turnovers are a tasty handheld pastry stuffed with a variety of sweet or savory fillings. Depending on where you are in the world, you might know turnovers by another name. It's a calzone in Italy, an empanada in Latin America, a pasty in England, and a patty in Jamaica.
Whether they're made with pastry or yeast dough, turnovers get their name from the folding technique you use to enclose the fillings. You can fry or bake turnovers, and the result is a convenient self-contained meal or snack. While you might already be familiar with fruit turnovers or even the occasional ham and cheese pastry, mushrooms can provide a savory twist that'll wow your tastebuds.
Mushrooms offer a meaty chew and powerful umami savoriness that pairs well with the various spices, aromatics, sauces, and other fillings that frequently wind up in turnovers. This is an easy addition to make since mushrooms are widely available at grocery stores in multiple varieties and fit perfectly into vegetarian and vegan diets.
Considering the wealth of mushroom dishes around the world, there are plenty of flavorful ideas out there to pull inspiration from. You can come up with a different filling for every international cuisine, taking your family and friends on a culinary world tour with each turnover.
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How To Make Mushroom Turnovers And What To Pair Them With
Classic turnovers can be easily customized to fit your preferences. The general guidelines entail placing a spoonful of filling in the middle of a circle or square of dough, folding the dough over the filling, and sealing the edges with your fingers or a fork before baking or frying.
Mushrooms give you a lot of leeway to conjure countless filling combinations. Start by picking the type of mushroom you want to use. Cremini, button, baby bellas, and Swiss brown mushrooms all deliver an intense umami flavor and a soft yet meaty texture. Shiitake, oyster, and enoki mushrooms have a distinctly chewy texture and an earthier savoriness. Oyster mushrooms are often used as chicken substitutes for vegan dishes. Regardless of which mushroom you choose, the result will be a delicious turnover.
You'll need to break the mushrooms down before sautéing them with your choice of fat, herbs, and aromatics. A fine dice ensures a texture similar to ground beef once cooked. You'll also need an absorbent binder like sour cream, flour, or cheese to create a cohesive filling that seals in all of the tasty juices from the sauté.
If you're going for a ground meat substitute, you could fry chopped portobello mushrooms in olive oil with onions, carrots, cracked pepper, tamari, and garlic powder. Another option would be to fry diced mushrooms with onions and dried Italian herbs, blending the mixture with cream cheese or ricotta.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
