Italian Style Puff Pastry

Italian Style Puff Pastry

2-4 persons

Perfect appetizer, or snack, or served with a hot meal.

8 squares of readymade puff pastry dough (5” diameter)

8 thin slices of zucchini

½ sliced/diced onion

½ bell pepper in thin strips, 1-2 inch long

100 gr grated cheese (of choice, but go for one that melts well. I like Gouda)

25 gr grated parmesan

Italian herb mix + salt/pepper

Preheat the oven to 420.

Cover your oven tray with a sheet of wax paper.

Lay out your squares of dough and pinch a small handful of the mixed cheese onto each one. Just evenly divide all your cheese between the eight pastries. Add a slice of zucchini to eaxh pastry, then three or four strips of bell pepper, and some strips of onion. Make neat little piles on one half of the dough squares (we’re aiming for triangles, like sandwiches). Then a pinch of Italian herbs on each, salt and pepper to taste and fold the empty half of your dough over your little piles.

Pinch the dough shut and place them about an inch apart on the sheet of wax paper. Take care that you close the pastry well, otherwise your cheese will run out. Also yummy, but a bit of a pity. Next, place your tray in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or whenever the dough has turned a nice golden brown.

Serve hot with finger food. Or along with your evening meal. They also work rather well as appetizers and snacks! 

Potato squash mash

Butternut squash

Potato and pumpkin mash.

2-4 persons

30 mins prep time.

Potatoes: 8-10 mid-size. Peeled and cubed

Butternut pumpkin: 1 small. Peeled and cubed

Onion: 2 small, red and white. Chopped

Red pepper: 1 chopped grilled (opt.)

Cheese: 100-150 gr. Chopped or grated

Butter: 50 gr

Skimmed Milk: ½-1 mug.

Olive oil: 2-4 tablesp

Parsley: 1 tablesp

Chives: 1 tablesp

Basil: 1 tablesp

Italian mix herbs: 1 teasp

Sweet chili sauce: 1 tablesp (opt.)

Salt: to taste

Pepper: to taste

Boil your peeled potatoes while you peel and cut your pumpkin. I prefer Butternut squash, but any other will do. For easy peeling, make unpeeled, half-inch slices of your pumpkin and then cut off the peel per disk. Goes way faster.

Bake your cubed pumpkin in the olive oil together with the herbs and the chopped onions (and red pepper, if you opted for that). Mid-high heat and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn until the cubes become soft. Add a splash of milk, and the cheese and continue to stir until your cheese has melted. Turn the heat low. By this time your potatoes should be ready for mashing. Drain of water. Add the butter and remaining milk, then your pumpkin mix and Chili sauce (if you decided to add it) and bring to taste with salt and pepper while you either mash it to one lumpy mass (my preference) or use an immersion blender to make one smooth mash.

Serve with a bit of butter/gravy on top, and meat/salad of choice and enjoy.

Bon apetit!!!