Puff Pastry Hearts: The Recipe for Savoury Appetizers for Valentine’s Day

Ingredients:
RECTANGULAR PUFF PASTRY 2 rolls
FROZEN SPINACH 100 grams
RICOTTA 100 grams SMOKED SALMON
80 grams NAPLES SALAMI 80 grams TOMATO PUREE 80 grams MOZZARELLA 80 grams RICOTTA CREAM 80 grams EGG YOLK 1 PINK PEPPER to taste EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL to taste SALT to taste YOU ALSO NEED: HEART COOKIE CUTTERS 2 (different sizes)

How to prepare puff pastry hearts:
Step 1
Cut out the first roll of puff pastry with the largest heart-shaped cookie cutter

Step 2
Proceed in the same way with the second roll, then, using a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the inside of each heart: you will thus obtain many puff pastry hearts empty in the center.

Step 3
Arrange the puff pastry hearts cut from the first roll on a baking tray, brush the edges with lightly beaten egg yolk and overlap the cut hearts.
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Step 4
Brush them again with the beaten egg yolk

Step 5
Using the smallest cookie cutter, cut out lots of little hearts from the slices of smoked salmon

Step 6
Do the same with the salami slices

Step 7
Prepare the ricotta and spinach filling: cook the spinach in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, then chop it with a knife, let it cool and mix it in a bowl with the well-drained ricotta. whey.

Step 8
Stuff the hearts by filling some with the ricotta and spinach mixture, others with a little tomato sauce, seasoned with a pinch of salt, and the last ones with the creamy spreadable cheese.

Step 9
Cover the hearts with cheese, alternating the salami hearts with the salmon ones, and put in a static oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, remove the rustici from the oven and cook only the tomato ones for a few more minutes, with a few cubes of mozzarella on the surface.

Step 10
Once the mozzarella has melted, arrange the puff pastry hearts on a serving dish, garnish the rustici with the pink pepper salmon, bring to the table and serve.

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Tip:
If you wish, you can cook the puff pastry hearts without filling them and then fill them, once cooked, with savory creams of any kind, or you can play with flavors and consistencies, and replace the proposed ingredients with cooked ham and smoked provola, Gorgonzola and walnut kernels, shrimp and rocket, mascarpone and chopped pistachios…

You can use the leftover puff pastry to make delicious snacks based on robiola and salmon, savoury snacks, stuffed baskets or other tasty, original and quick appetizers.

To end a sweet evening for two, you can also try your hand at cheesecake hearts or Valentine’s Day cookies.

Storage:
Puff pastry hearts should be eaten fresh and fragrant. Cooked and without garnish, they can be stored at room temperature, tightly closed in an airtight container, for 1 or 2 days maximum. Alternatively, you can freeze them raw and place them in the freezer in a food bag, interspersed with sheets of baking paper to prevent them from sticking.