Parmesan Stars

And... this is the second recipe that I managed to make and consume without photographing. Sorry! They were just too tasty! This is also a fantastic recipe to make if you're using puff pastry for other dishes as well since that means there will be lots of leftover pieces of pastry that might otherwise be wasted. All you need is a small cookie cutter shape (I used a star but any shape will work), an egg wash, some grated parmesan and paprika.

Photo from myrecipes.com, by Ian Bagwell and Heather Chadduck

I can't remember where I saw the original recipe that made me start making these a few years ago but the internet has several different incarnations of it: with basil or other spices, different types of cheese, etc. I prefer to keep things simple with just parmesan and a little pop of paprika and I basically make it up as I go along so apologies in advance for vague ingredient amounts! The final amount of stars you'll have will depend on the size of your cookie cutter so that is also a bit vague I'm afraid. I had about 30 and that was after only using the pastry leftover after the pigs in a blanket. 

Prep TIme: 10 min

Cook Time: 7-10 min

Makes: Lots! 

Ingredients: 

Puff pastry sheets

Grated parmesan cheese

Paprika

1 Egg 

Method: 

Roll out the puff pastry and cut into the bite size pieces with your cookie cutter. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and paint with an egg wash. Sprinkle generous helpings of parmesan cheese onto the top of each piece and follow with a tiny bit of paprika. Bake for 7-10 minutes (until the cheese has melted to a golden brown and the pastry has puffed up) and enjoy! 

Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas

Empanadas always seemed like the slightly mysterious cousin of British pasties. Delicous but far too difficult to bother making at home. However, by using store bought puff pastry, you get a tasty (if not all that original) version that makes great party food or a side dish for a tex-mex night. The filling is easily customizable to whatever you happen to have on hand or your favorite flavors. I managed to get 16 empanadas out of 2 packages of ready rolled puff pastry but you could easily get more by making smaller cut outs. These were perhaps slightly too big for a party (3-4 bites) so in the future I'll use a glass to cut out the circles and aim to make them more of a 2 bite option.

Browning chicken

Garlic and Onion

Filling simmering

Ready for the oven!

Fresh from the oven

Finished product!

This recipe was based on a Smitten Kitchen version but with a few changes that go along with my preferences. For exmaple, I used chicken breast where she used chicken legs because I prefer them. Because of this, I used a bit more wine and let it simmer longer so that the chicken wouldn't get dry etc. I also used black olives because they were what I had.

Recipe inspired by www.smittenkitchen.com

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Serves: 16

Ingredients: 

2-3 chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
90g chorizo, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 cup olives, sliced
2 packages of ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg

Method: 

Preheat oven to 400F / 205C.

In a saucepan over medium heat, brown the chicken breast with salt and pepper until they are cooked through. Remove from the pan and slice into three pieces. In the same pan, saute the onion, garlic and bay leaves until the onion is translucent and the garlic is aromatic. Add the chorizo and Spanish paprika and saute for a few minutes before adding the olives, wine and chicken stock. Place the chicken pieces back into the sauce pan and let simmer until sauce has reduced. When sauce is ready, remove the chicken and chop before mixing back into the pan with the other ingredients. Remove filling from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry and cut out circles. The finished product will be semi-circles so size your original circles accordingly. Fill each circle with a tablespoon or more of the filling. Use an egg wash to seal the edges and crimp before placing on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash and bake for 25 minutes. Start with trays on the top third and bottom third of your oven and switch them halfway through cooking. Serve with salsa and other condiments. Enjoy!