Vol-au-vent fantasia

Fantasy vol-au-vents are delicious appetizers that you can fill with various stuffings according to personal taste and the ingredients on hand. Here I suggest an Italian-style filling version that uses ricotta and vegetables, but remember you can vary the recipe to your liking.

Ingredients

• 250 g ready-made puff pastry
• 200 g ricotta
• 100 g fresh spinach (or other vegetables to taste)
• 50 g grated Parmesan
• 1 egg (for brushing the vol-au-vents)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nutmeg to taste (optional)
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Start by preheating the oven to 200° C.
2. Roll out the puff pastry and, using a cutter or a glass, cut out circles about 8 cm in diameter. Each vol-au-vent will need two circles of pastry.
3. From half of the circles, cut out a smaller circle in the center to form pastry rings.
4. Arrange the whole circles on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush them with the beaten egg.
5. Carefully place a pastry ring on top of each whole circle, brush the ring with egg as well, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the vol-au-vents have risen and turned golden.
6. Meanwhile, sauté the spinach in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt until wilted. Let cool, then squeeze out excess water.
7. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the grated Parmesan, add the spinach, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
8. Once baked, remove the vol-au-vents from the oven and let them cool slightly. After they have cooled, fill them with the ricotta and vegetable mixture.
9. Serve your fantasy vol-au-vents warm or at room temperature.

Trivia

The name “vol-au-vent” means “fly in the wind,” highlighting the lightness and flakiness of the puff pastry they are made from. This delicious appetizer has French origins, but in Italy we have embraced it enthusiastically, often customizing the filling with typical ingredients from our cuisine.