Vegetarian Recipes for Christmas: Mediterranean Puff Pastry Twist

So it's coming to that time of the year when we need to think of what to make for Christmas dinner. In the Basi household we go for the whole works: chicken (not Turkey as it's too big for a family of 5), roast potatoes basted in goose fat for a crunchy crisp outside and fluffy inside, maple syrup & chilli roasted veg... the list is endless. However what do you make if someone is vegetarian? I've come up with a recipe that is fulfilling and extremely easy to make - the last thing you want to do is slave away in the kitchen.

Mediterranean Puff Pastry Twist

Serves 6

Ingredients

• Puff Pastry Block
• Two bags of spinach*,
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, diced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup pappadew pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 leek, sliced
• Two cloves garlic, minced
• Dessert spoon extra virgin olive oil
• small pinch nutmeg
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs

*You need to prepare the spinach before making the twist & this can be done earlier in the day. Wash the two bags of spinach in a colander and chop roughly. Add to a large pan, add some water and on a high heat and steam the spinach with the lid on until it wilts (1-2 minutes). Add into a muslin cloth or thick kitchen towel paper and squeeze all of the water out (be careful not to scold yourself). You must follow this step otherwise the twist will become watery. 

All the products were bought in Aldi- so it's cheap too!

Method 
In a pan add the olive oil and add the chopped leeks, the gas should be on a medium/low. Add the lid ontop so the leeks soften (approx 5 minutes).

 Add all the ingredients above in grey font and mix (also preheat the oven to 180 °C)

 Roll the pastry until 0.5 cm and cut into rough rectangles

Place greaseproof paper on an oven proof tray and lay the rectangles into a star shape and overlap, add a ring of the mixture like so

Working one by one grab the end of the rectangle, wrap the pastry over the filling and press down. Brush extra virgin olive oil so the pastry sticks and reveals a golden colour when baked. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning the tray around mid way into cooking

 

When it is baked, remove from the oven and leave it to cool for 10 minutes.

 If you aren't vegetarian also try mixing a dessert spoon of grated parmesan cheese into the mix. This is a healthy and can be eaten cold or in a packed lunch! I have started snapchatting my recipes step by step, so feel free to add me on kimren.b / Basi Beauty (Facebook page)

Kimren xo