Creamy Corn Empanadas

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ½ cup shredded monetary jack cheese
• 8-10 (6-inch) store-bought empanada wrappers, you can find them in the frozen foods
• Olive Oil

1. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until smooth and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Add the milk slowly while whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add the paprika, cumin and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the corn and parsley, return to a simmer. Scrape the filling into a bowl and cool completely before filling wrappers. Once cooled add cheese to mixture.

2. Wet the edges of 1 of the empanada wrappers with a fingertip dipped in warm water. Center a generous 1/3-cup of the filling on the wrapper. Bring the sides of the wrapper together to meet over the filling and pinch the sides together to seal and form a half-moon shape. Lay the half-moon flat on the work surface. Work you way around the edges, bringing about 1/2-inch of the bottom layer of dough up and over the top layer, to make a mini-pleat. Press as you go to seal the pleats. If you don't want to mess with crimping, just seal the edges all the way around with the tips of the tines of a fork. Brush empanadas with a little olive oil before baking.

3. Preheat  oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until the empanadas are light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool. I love to serve with my tomato soup, perfect combo!