Artichoke Puffs

Copyright 2006 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz.) of artichoke hearts (in water)
1 can (4.25 oz. drained weight) chopped black olives
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. part skim ricotta cheese (or regular ricotta)
2 eggs
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bring out puff pastry sheets to defrost per package instructions. (Tip: Just before puff pastry is ready for use, it might get stuck together. So be sure to lay out flat both sheets even if you're not working with one right away. If you wait too long to open the second sheet as you work on the first, it might meld together and make it harder for you to separate.)

Drain water from artichokes and place them in a large bowl. With a wooden spoon, mash the artichokes into small pieces. Add olives, ricotta, Parmesan, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of salt, then blend well.

Cut the pastry sheets into about 1-inch squares. (The sheet folds out into three panels; divide each panel to make six rows, then divide lengthwise into seven rows.) Press an indentation into one of the puff pastry square with your thumb and add a small spoonful of artichoke mixture. Do this for all the puff pastry squares. Place as many as you can on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or baking wax paper greased with butter). Create an egg wash with one egg and lightly brush the edges of each puff square. Then grind fresh sea salt over all the squares.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 84 bite-size pieces.

Serve with a glass of California sparkling wine.

TIP: When working with puff pastry, make sure you sprinkle the working area with flour and you can even roll the puff pastry to make it thinner.

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST: This recipe makes great breakfast artichoke croissants. Instead of cutting the puff pastry into 1-inch squares, cut larger squares (three rows along the width and then four rows lengthwise to make a dozen squares per sheet) and then add a spoon of the artichoke mixture and fold over as a triangle or rectangle to create your breakfast artichoke croissants.