The STUFFED CHRISTMAS TREE is a tasty, showy, soft and versatile appetizer loved by adults and children alike, perfect for enriching the holiday table during the Christmas season. And, as always, it’s easy and quick to make.
It can be decorated with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cherry tomatoes, rosemary or other spices to simulate tree decorations according to your imagination and appetite. In any case, don’t forget plenty of melting cheese, which will make the dough soft and the whole nicely combined and delicious.
Serve the stuffed Christmas tree whole on a serving platter, accompanied by small bowls of sauces or creams. It’s a convivial appetizer that can be easily “disassembled”, pulling apart the filled sections with your hands, and is therefore ideal for a buffet or an aperitif, perhaps right at the beginning of one of the holiday lunches.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
- Energy 256.12 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.62 (g) of which sugars 1.41 (g)
- Proteins 12.93 (g)
- Fat 11.19 (g) of which saturated 4.66 (g)of which unsaturated 3.58 (g)
- Fibers 0.92 (g)
- Sodium 519.10 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk (warm)
- 1/2 cup water (warm)
- 0.4 oz fresh compressed yeast
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 3.5 oz salami
- 4.4 oz cooked ham
- 4.4 oz spicy provolone
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- black pepper
- 1 egg
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THE STUFFED CHRISTMAS TREE
- 1 Pan Christmas tree pan 12.6 x 9.84 in
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Work surface
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Pastry brush
PROCEDURE FOR THE STUFFED CHRISTMAS TREE
Preparation of the STUFFED CHRISTMAS TREE is very easy and quick.
In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the spiral hook) place the warm milk and water and dissolve the fresh yeast in them. Add the oil, then the flour a little at a time and begin to work everything together until you obtain a soft but compact dough.
Finally add the salt and incorporate it well.
Once the dough is ready, cover it with a cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise for about 2 hours inside the turned-off oven with the light on. I recommend warming the oven for one minute to 122°F and turning it off before letting the dough rise.
After the 2 hours, when the dough has doubled in volume, roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3/16 in (approximately 0.5 cm), forming a rectangular sheet.
Spread the cooked ham, salami and provolone cut into cubes over the surface, add the grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Carefully roll up the sheet and cut it into slices of about 1 3/16 in (approximately 3 cm). You should obtain 12 rolls to fill the pan.
Arrange them well spaced inside a tree-shaped pan 12.6 x 9.84 in, cover with plastic wrap and let them rise for another hour.
Once proofed, brush lightly with a beaten egg.
Bake the stuffed Christmas tree in a preheated static oven at 356°F and let it cook for about 30-35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool covered with a cloth.
VARIATIONS
For the filling you can use the ingredients you like best. You can make it vegetarian by replacing the cured meats with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, zucchini or peppers.
Or add pesto, olive pâté, spreadable cheese, ricotta or tomato sauce to make it creamier.
STORAGE
The stuffed Christmas tree can be kept at room temperature for 1 day. After that, store it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. The filling of cured meats and cheeses makes it more delicate. It is preferable to consume it within 48 hours at most.
Once taken out of the fridge, you can put it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it soft again.
You can also freeze it by wrapping individual rolls in plastic wrap, thaw them in the oven and reheat them in the oven or microwave when ready to eat.
