These veggie appetizers are easy to make. The first uses pesto, while the second one uses a roasted red pepper and cheese spread. Sweet Onion Relish can be used for either or both and since they are wrapped in puff pastry dough — you know they will go fast.
Try Chef Smitty’s recipe for Sweet Onion Relish
When using puff pastry dough, take the time to let the dough rest in the refrigerator after rolling before you put together your appetizers. This is a good thing to remember anytime you use this dough and not just for these recipes.
Let the puff pastry dough rest in the refrigerator after rolling it before you put together your appetizers. This is good to remember anytime you use this dough.
The resting time will result in a flakier end product. Think of it like letting the dough proof much the same as you do with bread dough after kneading. The vegetables used can be changed to appease your taste buds, but I like to use firmer veggies such as broccoli and cauliflower for the pesto-wrapped pinwheels because they don’t have the water content of, say, zucchini and yellow squash.
The roasted red pepper and cheese spread gets folded individually instead of made in a roll and sliced because you don’t want the spread to melt and run out the sides. Because these appetizers are fully closed like a won ton or turnover, the zucchini and squash will go great in these.
As always, please feel free to change some ingredients to meet your tastes — such as a little pepper jelly to the roasted red pepper and cheese mix for a little zip.
The next time you are having a party and want some great vegetarian appetizers, give these a try and enjoy.
Vegetable Appetizers
2 sheets puff pastry dough
1 C pesto
1½ C onion relish
2 red peppers, roasted
8 oz. cream cheese
1 zucchini, diced small
1 yellow squash, diced small
1 to 2 heads broccoli, cut into small flowerets
½ head cauliflower, cut into small flowerets
2 eggs, beaten
½ C grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast the red peppers until black, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool. Peel and seed them and blend with the cheese, seasoning with a little salt and pepper to taste. Dust the dough with flour and roll it out to about the size of a half sheet tray and let rest in the refrigerator (use the tray upside down) while you get everything else together.
Blanch both the broccoli and cauliflower and dry on a towel. Cut the zucchini and yellow squash in a small dice using the meaty outside of the vegetables and as little of the seedy centers as possible.
Place one sheet of dough on the counter so it is longer left to right than top to bottom. Spread the pesto over the bottom two-thirds of the dough. Spread some of the relish over the pesto and sprinkle the cauliflower and broccoli on and lightly season with salt and pepper. Roll this from the bottom to the top. Slice the roll into 1-inch pieces. Spread them out on a sheet tray on a piece of parchment paper and lightly brush with some of the egg. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.
Place the second piece of dough on the counter and use a cookie cutter to cut out 1- to 1½ -inch circles. If you don’t have a cookie cutter, you can use a juice glass or other small glass or cut into squares. Spread some of the pepper cheese mix over the middle of the dough pieces and add just enough zucchini and squash so you can still fold it over. You can use some of the onion relish on some of them as a variety. Fold in half and use a fork to close. Spread out on a sheet tray with parchment paper, lightly brush with egg and sprinkle a little parmesan cheese.
Bake these for 10 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit or until golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on how large you make your appetizers, so keep a close eye on them.
