Pesto Pastry Wheels Recipe | Food

Date Published:: 30/11/2007

These vegetarian pesto, mascarpone and tomato pastry wheels are simply amazing. Just roll them out and watch them go.

Makes 28
Takes 15 minutes to make, 18-20 minutes to bake, plus freezing and cooling

Nutritional Information

Per serving:
121kcals
9.9g fat (3.1g saturated)
1.6g protein
6.8g carbs
0.3g sugar
0.3g salt

Ingredients

25g pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
50g fresh basil leaves
4 tbsp olive oil
25g vegetarian Parmesan, grated
375g pack fresh ready-rolled shortcrust pastry, brought up to room temperature
125g mascarpone
100g sun-dried tomatoes (we like Merchant Gourmet), chopped

Method: How to make pesto pastry wheels

1. Put the pine nuts into a blender with the garlic, basil leaves and oil. Whizz to a rough-textured pesto. Season with freshly ground black pepper, add the Parmesan and pulse briefly to combine. Set aside.

Tip

Once cooked, you can freeze these for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature and reheat in the oven at 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 for 5 minutes.

2. Unroll the pastry and spread evenly with the mascarpone. Top with the sun-dried tomatoes and dot evenly with the pesto. Starting with 1 long edge, roll the pastry tightly like a Swiss roll. Freeze for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Using a large serrated knife, slice the pastry into 28 thin rounds. Divide between 2 non-stick baking sheets, spaced slightly apart, and cover each tray with foil – this will stop the sun-dried tomatoes turning too dark in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for 3-5 minutes more, until cooked, crisp and pale-golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

4. Overlap the pastry wheels in a circle on a large, round serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.