Andouille and Swiss Chard Turnovers

I don’t know what it is, but I really love Swiss chard! When flipping through Louisiana Life magazine, I spotted a recipe for andouille and Swiss chard turnovers and couldn’t wait to make them.

I decided to make them to go along with our vegetable tortellini soup. My 3-year-old daughter “helped” me (and I use that term loosely) and they were surprisingly easy to make. I had never made any sort of hand pie but the process wasn’t bad at all. They were a great accompaniment to our soup and the rest my husband enjoyed for his breakfast!

Andouille and Swiss Chard Turnovers
Recipe from Louisiana Life, May/June 2011

Ingredients:
filling
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb. andouille, chopped
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste

dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening - I used the butter flavor one
7-8 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp milk (for the glaze)

Instructions:

Filling

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute’ until soft and beginning to brown - about five minutes. Add the andouille.
Discard the large stems from the Swiss chard and chop the leaves into large chunks. Wash in a colander and add the wet chard to the skillet, cover and cook until wilted, about five minutes.
Remove cover and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the cheese and seasoning and remove from heat to let the filling cool.

Dough

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. With your fingers or a pastry cutter, mix in the shortening until you have a coarse mixture.
Drizzle in water, mixing with a fork until it forms a dough. Knead a few times and cut the dough in half. Form each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut 4-inch rounds, rolling out the scraps when needed. You need at least 18.
Place a spoonful of filling onto a round. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough, then fold over and press the seams together. You can also press with the tines of a fork to create a crimped edge. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the other rounds.
Before baking, lightly brush milk on top of the dough. Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden.