Crispy, tasty, and ready in just a few minutes, the puff pastry twists with pesto are a simple and irresistible savory snack, perfect for an aperitif, a buffet, or a quick appetizer. They are prepared in simple steps with only three ingredients: a roll of rectangular puff pastry, Genoese pesto, and a few thin slices of cheese (such as scamorza, mozzarella, or emmental).
Simply fill the pastry, fold it over, cut it into strips, and twist them to get golden and fragrant savory twists, with a crunchy texture and a Mediterranean taste. For an even more delightful touch, you can brush them with egg and sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on top.
Ideal to serve with other puff pastry snacks or aperitif recipes like savory palmiers, crostini, or a variety of finger foods, these puff pastry pesto twists are sure to win everyone over at the first bite. Easy, quick, and pleasing to the eye, they prove that with few ingredients you can create something truly special!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 166.86 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.78 (g) of which sugars 0.32 (g)
- Proteins 4.20 (g)
- Fat 11.92 (g) of which saturated 1.37 (g)of which unsaturated 7.43 (g)
- Fibers 0.48 (g)
- Sodium 116.25 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 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 for 10 Savory Puff Pastry Twists with Pesto
If you are celiac you can make the recipe using gluten-free puff pastry (if you can only find the round one, you can cut it to get a rectangle). Remember that the pesto must also have the “gluten-free” label.
- 1 roll puff pastry (rectangular)
- 1.4 oz Genoese pesto
- 2.5 oz scamorza cheese (thinly sliced)
- 1 egg (optional)
- as needed sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Brush
- 1 Knife
- 1 Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
How to Make Puff Pastry Twists with Pesto and Scamorza
To prepare the pesto puff pastry twists, start by unrolling the puff pastry and positioning it vertically in front of you. Fold it in half without pressing, just to find the exact middle. Then spread pesto only on the lower half (1). Lay the scamorza slices on top, side by side (2). I recommend buying pre-sliced scamorza for very thin slices. Fold the top half of the pastry over the bottom half, pressing gently to adhere it (3).
In a small bowl, crack the egg and add a slight pinch of salt. Beat it vigorously with a fork, then use a kitchen brush, thoroughly brush the entire surface of the puff pastry (4). Use a knife to cut it into vertical strips about 0.8 inches wide (5). This way, you will get 10 strips. Gently detach one and twist it on itself (6).
Do the same with the other strips. As you shape the twists, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced well apart so that they do not stick during baking. Brush them again with a bit of beaten egg (7). If you like, you can decorate them on top with seeds; I used sesame seeds (8). Bake the twists in a preheated oven at 392°F (static) for 12-15 minutes, until they are puffed and golden (9).
Take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the tray. You can serve the puff pastry twists with pesto warm or at room temperature.
Storage
You can store the savory twists for a couple of days at room temperature.
Tips and Variations
You can fill the puff pastry twists in many different ways: spreadable cheese and cooked ham or salami, goat cheese and smoked salmon, anchovies and mozzarella, olive paste, speck, and brie…
