I’m leaving for Italy with friends on Monday on a mission to take our college roommate Ludie out of the country for the first time to her #1 bucket list destination. Lucky us! I wanted to leave you an Italian recipe, and although this is hardly authentic it does contain spicy Italian salami and is insanely delicious. It’s from Ina’s “How Easy Is That” book and truly is just that. I usually avoid working with puff pastry as it can be a bit tricky, but this is so straight forward, includes only 5 ingredients and can be put together earlier in the day and baked when your guests arrive. I do suggest saving this for company because if you make just for yourself you will end up eating it all and be racked with guilt.
Try to remember to thaw the puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator. I was ready to roll it out into a 10″ square as the recipe requires, and then noticed that the box Pepperidge Farm puff pastry contains 2 sheets that are already 10″ squares! Done! Just spread one with mustard, top with the salami and then the grated cheese and lay the second puff pastry sheet on top. After baking it is brown and puffed,the cheese is melted and it looks like so much more trouble to make than it was. Would be great for football appetizers cut into squares, or a cold weather main dish with a salad.
There’s a strong possibility I will return from Italy needing elastic waistbands and red wine stains on my teeth that need bleaching. At this age that’s just the sign of a good vacation!
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, defrosted
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
12 thin (not paper thin) slices soppressata salami (3 1/2 inches in diameter)
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and lightly roll into a 10 inch square. Place it on the sheet pan and brush the pastry with all the mustard,, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the soppressata in overlapping layers on the mustard and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on the soppressata., also avoiding the border. Brush the border with the egg wash.
Lightly roll the second piece of puff pastry into a 10 inch square. Lay the pastry directly on top of the first square, lining up the edges.Brush the top with the egg wash, cut three large slits for steam to escape and chill for 15 minutes. (or more)
When the pastry is cold, trim the edges with a very sharp knife to make a clean edge. Bake the pastry in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once while baking, until puffed and brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, cut into squares, and serve hot or warm. Serves 6 for a first course, 8 for cocktails.
Note: Thank you to a website called “shopgirlmaria” for her photo as I seriously over baked mine , but still it was gobbled up!
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