Mealtime Magic: Butternut Squash Empanadas and Red Wine Poached Pears

Spice Islands teams up with Taste Buds Kitchen as their Official Spice Partner in a year-long program that includes thousands of cooking classes, workshops and special events nationwide from May 2018 through May 2019.  Spice Islands selected Taste Buds Kitchen for this alliance to support the cooking school’s mission to provide home chefs cooking classes that are fun, educational, enjoyable and easy. During the classes instructors guide participants in amazing ways to cook with spices to enhance meals for the whole family. Cooking classes using Spice Islands will inspire people to turn to spices when creating recipes to make them more interesting and flavorful. The classes will bring to life such dishes as Homemade Garam Masala using several Spice Islands Spices, Poached Pears featuring Spice Islands Saigon Cinnamon, Butternut Squash Empanadas featuring Spice Islands Garlic Powder and Smoked Paprika as well as hundreds of other recipes and ideas. For more information including the upcoming schedule and to register for Taste Buds Kitchen cooking classes featuring Spice Islands premium spices, visit www.tastebudskitchen.com

Taste Buds Kitchen’s mission is to be the top culinary entertainment experience for kids, families and adults by engaging and delighting our budding chefs in the kitchen. They support kids, families and food and strive to create a lifestyle around connecting, learning and growing in the culinary playground of the kitchen. What began as a few holiday baking classes and cupcake birthday parties, quickly evolved into much more. Taste Buds Kitchen events now include an ever-growing variety of culinary classes, parties, camps and special events that combine a mix of hands-on engaging recipes, both savory and sweet, for kids and adults.

Taste Buds Kitchen and Spice Islands know that not all spices are created equal. To achieve such rich flavors and premium quality, Spice Islands buys many spices whole, such as black peppercorns from Vietnam, India and Malaysia, and then mills them in its facility to release their rich flavors and capture them in each bottle.  Spice Islands premium spices and seasonings adhere to strict specifications to ensure high volatile oil levels, meaning a higher quality and more flavorful product.  From cultivating long term relationships with farmers throughout the world, to handpicking many of the spices, to maintaining traditions of drying many of the herbs and spices in the sun - tender care is put into each harvest to ensure the highest quality product.

Try these delicious recipes from Taste Buds Kitchens using Spice Islands Spices.

Spice Islands® Butternut Squash Empanadas

A Taste Buds Kitchen recipe

Makes 12, approximate 4” empanadas

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornmeal

1 tbsp. Spice Islands® Dried Oregano

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. Spice Islands® Paprika

2 tsp. Spice Islands® Salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold

2 eggs

½ cup water (more or less as needed)

Filling

7 oz. butternut squash, roasted and mashed

2 tbsp. frozen corn

¼ red bell pepper, diced

¼ onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup vegetable stock

2 tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. Spice Islands® Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Spice Islands® Cumin

Pinch Spice Islands® Salt and Pepper

Egg Wash

1 Egg

2 tbsp. water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients for the dough; flour, cornmeal, Spice Islands Oregano, sugar, Spice Islands Paprika and Spice Islands Salt. Cut butter in and mix until if forms pea size pieces. Then add eggs, mixing one at a time. If mixture is dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until it just comes together as a dough that forms a ball and is not sticky to the touch. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

While the dough chills, make the filling. Sautѐ onion and red pepper until soft, then add minced garlic until fragrant. Add to a medium mixing bowl with mashed butternut squash, corn, grated cheddar cheese, vegetable stock, olive oil, Spice Islands garlic powder, Spice Islands Cumin and Spice Islands Garlic Powder, Spice Islands Salt and Pepper. Mix thoroughly until combined.

Once dough is chilled, cut into individual portions, about 1.7 oz. each. Roll out the dough portions between 2 pieces of parchment paper about ¼” thick, into 4: circles. Then place a heaping spoonful of butternut squash filling into the middle of each round (be very generous with the filling). Fold dough circle in half, over the filling and seal with fork.

Place on prepared baking sheet and brush each empanada with egg wash (egg and water whisked together). Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Spice Islands® Red Wine Poached Pears

A Taste Buds Kitchen Recipe

Serves 4 adults, approximately ½ pear per person

Ingredients

1 ½ cups red wine

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup sugar

½ orange, sliced

4 cloves

1 Spice Islands® Cinnamon Stick

1 Spice Islands® Star Anise

2 Bosc pears

Whipped cream

½ cup heavy cream

1 tbps confectioners sugar

1 tsp Spice Islands® Vanilla Extract

Pinch freshly grated Spice Islands Cinnamon

Instructions

In a shallow pot, large enough to hold several pears laying flat on the bottom, bring red wine, water, sugar, orange slices and Spice Islands spices to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

While liquid boils, peel pears, but in half and core. Leave stem attached if possible. Place pears into simmering poaching liquid and poach for 30 – 60 minutes (depending on size and ripeness of pear) until tender when pierced with a fork.

While pears poach, make fresh whipped cream. Put heavy cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whisk briskly until fluffy (do not over whip). Keep whipped cream chilled until pears are ready.

Once pears are poached, move to a cutting board and cut 5 – 6 slices out of each half, keeping the top intact. Fan pear slices out onto a plate. Top with whipped cream and freshly grated Spice Islands Cinnamon.

About Spice Islands

Since 1941, Spice Islands has sourced only the highest-quality spices from around the world. Discover a world of flavor in your own kitchen with our premium Saigon Cinnamon, Cumin, Bay Leaves and many more fine spices, seasonings, dried herbs, extracts and flavorings sure to make your next meal an adventure.

About B&G Foods, Inc.

Based in Parsippany, New Jersey, B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS) and our subsidiaries manufacture, sell and distribute high-quality, branded shelf-stable and frozen foods across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.  With our diverse portfolio of more than 50 brands you know and love, including Back to Nature, B&G, B&M, Cream of Wheat, Green Giant, Las Palmas,Le Sueur, Mama Mary’s, Maple Grove Farms, Mrs. Dash, New York Style, Ortega, Pirate’s Booty, Polaner, SnackWell’s, Spice Islands and Victoria, there’s a little something for everyone.  For more information about B&G Foods and our brands, please visit www.bgfoods.com.