Three Sisters Tamale Casserole

Bubble, bubble, toil and casserole?

In my continuing quest for comforting vegetarian main dishes, I happened upon a casserole cookbook at my local library.  A casserole that peaked my interest was a tamale casserole, but there was a big problem inherent in the recipe in that it had cheese and ground beef in the same recipe.  Keeping a kosher-style home means that is against the rules, but it sounded so good I had to try and make it work.  Exchanging beef for zucchini and adding a few spices to enhance the flavor of the veggies made the recipe something I could enjoy at home.

Enter what I like to call Three Sisters Casserole.

Nom nom nom

Eggplant Turnovers (Empanadas de Berenjenas)

I'm still playing with Gil Marks' Olive Trees and Honey and got a bit excited by the section on savory turnovers.  Yes, a section on turnovers!!!  You may be laughing at this point, but if you are then that means you have never had a pasty or an empanada!  I've always hated the phrase, "you don't know what you are missing" because it seems pretty redundant. If you've never had a savory turnover, you've never enjoyed this neat and portable meal that can be eaten hot or cold and one-handed too!