Savoury Swirls

As much as I love home baked goodies, nothing gets my mouth watering or my taste buds buzzing like a savoury snack. Given the choice I'd pick savoury over sweet any day, on the odd occasion that we eat out at a restaurant I will always order a starter.

This week I've been hankering for something savoury, something that I could eat with one hand whilst walking around the house carrying out daily chores (apart from cleaning the bathroom).

Three of my favourite ingredients in the whole universe are garlic, basil, and mozzarella. Combined with tomatoes, they make a perfect marriage and I definitely wanted them in whatever snack I was going to make.



After some deep contemplation, the idea for these Savoury Swirls came about. Now they aren't the prettiest handheld treat but they are tasty. The first batch I made was placed on a baking sheet and within a few minutes I could see melting cheese pouring over the side of the sheet. When I took the baking sheet out, the swirls were sitting in a pool of cheese.

Now I don't mind this one bit, to me melted cheese is a thing of beauty. However, if you don't want your swirls to be swimming in cheese, I would suggest placing them in a bun or shallow cupcake tray. If like me you'd love a cheesy pool, use a baking tray so that non of the cheese falls into the oven. I also packed my puff pastry with chunky slices of cheese, you can use fewer ingredients if you prefer.

So here's what you'll need:

Olive Oil
Garlic (however many cloves you like), chopped
6 small tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil, to taste
2 puff pastry sheets
approx. 500g mozzarella cheese
approx. 230g sliced sandwich meat
1-2 handfuls of baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Here's what you'll need to do: makes approx 36

1. Heat a little oil in a pan and then add the garlic and cook for a couple of  minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil and season. Cook on a low to medium heat until the tomatoes are very soft and any liquid has been reduced. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

2. Open one puff pastry sheet and spread half of the tomatoes over it.

3. Slice the mozzarella and place one quarter on top of the tomatoes (leave the top edge free), then layer with half of the sandwich meat, Place another quarter of the cheese on top of the meat and then top with half of the spinach.

4. Carefully roll up the pastry sheet, using you fingers to pack in the filling ingredients if they come over the top edge.

5. Wrap in parchment paper or cling film and place in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. Repeat steps 1-5 with the other puff pastry sheet.

6. Slice the pastry log approx 1-2 cm thick (your preference) and place on a greased or lined baking sheet/tray or in a bun/cupcake tray. Tighten any swirls that are loose. Spray or drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.

 

                           Swirls on baking sheet                        Swirls in cup cake tray

7. Bake in the oven at 200*C for 15-18 minutes

Eat and enjoy hot or cold.