The savory Befana stocking is a fun and tasty puff pastry pie dedicated to the Befana or Epiphany feast that …“takes away all the holidays”!!! Great to serve as an appetizer or starter, it’s not difficult to prepare, it’s spectacular, and you can make it with the help of the little ones. I filled it with three different flavors, such as ricotta and spinach, cooked ham and mozzarella, and cheese and spicy salami. Of course, you can replace the ingredients with those you prefer.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Gastronomy
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry (rectangular)
- 3.5 oz spinach, frozen
- 3.5 oz cow's milk ricotta
- 2.5 oz cooked ham
- 2.5 oz edam cheese
- 1.1 oz spicy salami
- 0.7 oz mozzarella for pizza
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste fine salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pot
- Colander
- Wooden spoon
- Brush
- Bowl
- Small bowls
- Cutter
- Baking paper
- Baking tray
- Fork
Preparation
To prepare the savory Befana stocking…
In a not-so-large pot, heat the water to cook the frozen spinach. Once it boils, add them and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring with a fork.
While the spinach is cooking, take a sheet of paper and draw the shape of the stocking you want to achieve with a pencil and cut it out.
Now place the shape obtained on the first unrolled sheet of puff pastry and cut out the figure with the knife, trying to keep a 0.4 inch margin to create the edge at the end. Do the same on the other sheet of puff pastry.
Once the spinach is cooked, drain them well and sauté in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil until they are dry. Then transfer them to a bowl, add the ricotta, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and mix.
Start filling the stocking, placing the ricotta and spinach filling on the lower part, the cooked ham, and diced mozzarella in the middle, and finally the edam cheese with spicy salami.
Seal the stocking with the other puff pastry, sealing the edges well with your fingers or the tines of a fork. With the leftover puff pastry, create decorations as you like, in this case, I made little stars.
Lastly, place the whole egg beaten with a fork in a small bowl and brush it over the entire surface of the stocking.
Bake the savory Befana stocking in a preheated oven at 356°F and cook it for 30 minutes in static mode. Once baking is complete, serve it hot.
Storage
The leftover pastry from the stocking can be frozen, wrapping it first on a sheet of baking paper to prevent it from sticking and then placing it in a freezer bag. Alternatively, you can prepare snacks in any shape you prefer.
