I love to cook.  This may have been obvious to some of you before when I went through my Food Porn phase. T and I have a fridge the size of my carry-on luggage which means I can’t cook enough for an army like I did before (not until we get a house with a much larger fridge). This means that I usually cook every day and I usually need to get creative.

Last week I was thinking about one of my favorite Peruvian dishes: Empanadas.

The last time I had one of these delicious pastries was on my first trip home after the initial move to Germany back in Thanksgiving 2014.  Mom made a batch just for me and they tasted like heaven.  In case you don’t know what they’re made of – it’s minced beef, olives, hard-boiled egg, peppers and onions (or other ingredients that tickle your fancy) wrapped lovingly and baked to perfection.

T has yet to taste one of these little delights so I thought I would make some.  As I was driving to work, I thought about the logistics of making it as well as what ingredients I would need to get after work that day.

It dawned on me that I could use pre-made Flammkuchen dough because the consistency was the same.

Then a further epiphany occurred…..what if I made empanadas with a Flammkuchen filling?

Needless to say, I was super excited about the prospect.   I got home and immediately to work (because empanadas, when done right, take time).

As I worked, I felt that this dish was a perfect representation of T and my relationship as we journey together down our lives together.  It’s a principle I learned from my parents.

Growing up in a Peruvian-American household – we took the best from each culture and created something unique.  Now that I am adding German to the mix – it’s just yet another facet to enrich our very exciting life.  I learned early on that no culture is better than another.  In fact, they each offer something unique and wonderful and learning about them can give you only a broader understanding of the world.

It’s crazy to think of having such an existential epiphany while making little bite-sized pastries, but I guess that’s part of why I like cooking.  I always learn a little more about myself with every new recipe – or new creation of an existing recipe.  Food is such an important aspect of many cultures (not to brag but Peru has been named World’s Leading Culinary Destination for the 4th year in a row by the World Travel Awards).  I also REALLY love food.

I found my little German empanadas to be a total success and T definitely agreed.  Who knows – maybe I will make them for the next big get together? Of course the tragedy is that they take so long to make and only seconds to devour.  But that must mean they’re good, right?

Until next week!