Herbed Veggie Purses

Last Sunday we had friends over for dinner. Whenever we have people over, I make sure they have a dinner to remember. So every time I make a list of things to make, starting with appetizers and ending with Dessert. I wanted to make a new kind of appetizer, something tasty yet different I decided to make use of the puff pastry sheets lying in my freezer.

It was one of those days when I felt like eating something ‘herby’ (if that’s a word) definitely not Indian but something with different flavours. I couldn’t think of anything better than Italian herbs, but I couldn’t obviously feast on herbs alone (duh!), I had to put them in a dish. So I set about making these Herbed Veggie Purses.

You will need:

1 box Frozen Puff Pastry (2 sheets)
1 Green bell pepper, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Dried Red chilli flakes (vary to suit taste)
½ Cup Marinara sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tsp Oil

Thaw frozen puff pastry sheets. Preheat oven to 400F.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and sauté till half done. Now add the sliced bell pepper and sauté till the onions and peppers are cooked through. Now stir in the dried herbs and the red chilli flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute more and turn off heat. Let mixture cool.

Once the sheets are thawed, remove them from packaging and spread out on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the sheet a little bit. Cut the entire sheet into 9 pieces. You should have 18 pieces from 2 sheets. Spread a tablespoon of marinara sauce on the sheet. Place a little of the filling in the centre of the pastry piece, and then scrunch the sheet to make a small bag. Seal any open sides with water.

Prepare the remaining pastry pieces and place on an ungreased baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve while still warm.

These purses were gone in minutes!!