Spinach Empanadas

Ingredients:

• ***PASTRY***
• 16 ounces cream cheese -- softened
• 3/4 cup butter -- softened
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ***FILLING***
• 1/4 cup onion -- finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic -- minced
• 4 slices bacon -- cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 1 10 ounce pac frozen spinach -- thawed and drained
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg -- beaten

Preparation:

• 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.