Empanadas de Hongos — Jamiltepec, Oaxaca

Ingredients

• 450 g (1 lb) wild mushrooms — field mushrooms, chanterelles, or a mixture — cleaned and finely chopped by hand
• 10 costeño chiles (or 8 chiles de árbol), toasted, deseeded, and torn into pieces
• 2 large hoja santa leaves (Piper auritum), wiped clean and roughly torn
• 63 ml (1/4 cup) water
• 6 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 63 ml / approximately 55 g (1/2 cup) finely grated salty cheese — Romano (Pecorino Romano) or pecorino

Method

1. 1
   Toast the chiles. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the costeño or árbol chiles for about 30 seconds per side, pressing lightly, until fragrant and just beginning to darken. Remove from heat, deseed and devein, then tear into smaller pieces.
2. 2
   Wipe — do not wash — the hoja santa leaves with a barely damp cloth. Tear roughly.
3. 3
   Combine the finely chopped mushrooms, torn chiles, hoja santa, water, and roughly chopped garlic in a bowl. Stir to mix.
4. 4
   Heat the vegetable oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom mixture and fry, stirring frequently, until the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated and the mixture smells fragrant and cohesive — approximately 5–7 minutes.
5. 5
   Season with salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using as a filling.
6. 6
   At assembly: spoon filling into empanadas, tacos, or quesadillas and add a generous pinch of finely grated salty cheese before sealing or folding.