PUFF PASTRY APPETIZER WITH PESTO, TOMATOES, AND MOZZARELLA
A really tasty and easy recipe to make, beautiful to look at and perfect for an aperitif, as an appetizer, or for a buffet.
The base is made with puff pastry, the kind you buy ready-made in any supermarket that has always saved last-minute dinners. For those who are lazy or don’t have time, you can also use ready-made Basil Pesto, but I recommend making it with your own hands in this Arugula version, you can find the recipe HERE, it’s really worth it.
After baking the bases, you just need to spread a layer of Arugula Pesto, arrange some cherry tomatoes, previously seasoned, in the center, some cubes of mozzarella (or Greek Feta), toasted pine nuts, and in less than 30 minutes with few ingredients, you’ll bring to the table a tasty Appetizer that will be a hit.
This recipe calls for baking the puff pastry bases plain (without filling inside) but if you prefer, you can also spread it with pesto, add the other ingredients, and bake to create another tasty version of these puff pastry appetizers with pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella.
If you don’t like puff pastry, you can replace it with shortcrust pastry, crazy dough, or even pizza base, the result will still be delicious!
Remember if you try it to leave me a comment if you liked this recipe.
For other tasty and easy appetizers, also check out
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 422.77 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 21.22 (g) of which sugars 2.10 (g)
- Proteins 11.13 (g)
- Fat 32.76 (g) of which saturated 6.19 (g)of which unsaturated 14.07 (g)
- Fibers 1.49 (g)
- Sodium 232.13 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 70 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
- 1 roll puff pastry (rectangular)
- 3.5 oz arugula pesto
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 1 mozzarella
- A few leaves basil
- 0.7 oz pine nuts (toasted)
- 1 egg yolk (to brush puff pastry)
Tools
- Pastry Cutter
- Baking Tray
- Muffin Molds
Steps
First, wash the tomatoes, cut them into cubes, and put them in a bowl. Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, optionally oregano or fresh basil, mix and let them marinate. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and let the excess liquid drain. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan.
If you decide to make Arugula Pesto at home, you can find the recipe HERE, alternatively, Basil Genovese Pesto is also fine (HERE is the recipe to make it perfectly).
Unroll the rectangular puff pastry on a work surface and use a pastry cutter (or a glass) to cut out 8 circles about 1.5 inches in diameter. Poke the surface with the prongs of a fork. Arrange the circles on upside-down silicone muffin molds (alternatively, you can use a muffin tray). Once cooked and flipped, they will have the right “indentation” to hold the filling. Brush the surface with egg yolk. Bake in the oven at 350°F for about 15/18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before flipping.
As soon as the puff pastry bases have cooled, spread them with a generous spoonful of Pesto, add a spoonful for each of the seasoned tomatoes, some mozzarella cubes, and toasted pine nuts. Arrange on a serving plate and decorate as desired with basil leaves.
NOTES
These Puff Pastries with Pesto, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella can also be prepared at the last minute and enjoyed immediately. Bring some extra pesto to the table to add, if necessary, on top. They should be eaten shortly after preparation to fully enjoy the puff pastry’s crispness and are great both warm and at room temperature.
PUFF PASTRY If you don’t like puff pastry, you can replace it with shortcrust pastry, crazy dough, or even pizza base, the result will still be delicious.
FILLING I made the filling with Arugula Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, and Mozzarella to have summery and Mediterranean flavors, but you can modify it and create many different variations, such as ricotta, Basil Pesto, Parmesan, and cherry tomatoes, or Olive Paté, Greek Feta, and Tomatoes, or make use of seasonal vegetables.
STORAGE
As with all puff pastry-based preparations, they lose some crispness the next day, but they’re still good. If there are leftovers, wrap them in cling film and store them in the refrigerator. The next day, just heat them in the oven or skillet. The microwave is not recommended as it makes the pastry soft.
