Pizzette
The perfect party appetizer
The text message came from our son Sean on a Friday afternoon, “On vacation on Super Bowl Sunday, huh?”
Oh. It hadn’t occurred to me that we would be in Rome for the Super Bowl. I did some quick mental math - kickoff is at 5:30 pm Minneapolis time, which is 12:30 am Italy time. We could still watch the game…if we stay up all night.
Darnit. I did it again. It’s not the first time I’ve taken heat from the family because our travel plans have overlapped with a major sporting event.
I unknowingly scheduled Luca’s winter break flight home from college during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. How did I know they would hold the match in December to avoid the hot summer temperatures in the Middle East?
We were also on a plane during the July 2018 World Cup in Russia, returning from a family trip to Italy. If I recall, we caught some of the game at a sports bar during our layover at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Since Italy’s rival France won that World Cup, maybe it wasn’t so bad that we missed it.
Mental note: check the sports schedule before booking travel. Or better yet, turn over travel planning to Stefano or the boys. Why does it fall to Mom to be the family travel agent, anyway?
So, we might or might not watch the Super Bowl this year. If we were in the States for the game, we would prepare appetizers to graze on while watching the game. But rather than the standard American fare of nachos, chicken wings, and chips ‘n’ dip, we’d put our Italian twist on things. Included in the spread would be pizzette, our go-to party food.
Pizzette are tasty and so easy to make. Sometimes, they are made with actual pizza dough, but this recipe calls for pasta sfoglia, ready-made puff pastry, instead.
Sometimes called rustici or salatini, appetizers made with puff pastry are common in Italy, often found on the buffets of birthday parties and other gatherings. They can be ordered to-go from your local pasticceria or forno (bakery), or made at home. Light, flaky, and delicious, they are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Pizzette
36-40 pizzette
Ingredients
1 box of frozen puff pastry sheets. We use Pepperidge Farms brand.
1 tube or jar of tomato paste. We prefer to use an Italian brand, such as Cento.
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Tools & Equipment
Small- to medium-sized round cutter, or use a mason-jar lid or small glass
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Pastry brush, or use your finger instead
Directions
Remove the puff pastry from its packaging and let it thaw on a cutting board, unfolded.
Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit / 200° Celcius.
When the puff pastry has thawed, unfold each sheet and dust off any excess flour.
Use the cutter to cut circles approximately 6 cm, or 2-3/8 inch, in diameter. Remove the excess puff pastry.
Add a dollop of tomato paste to the center of each pizzetta.
Spread the tomato paste around each pizzetta, leaving just a small border. I find using my fingers works best, dipping them in water to keep the tomato paste from sticking to them. Be patient; this is the most tedious part of the process.
Pour a dash of olive oil into a small bowl and dab each pizzetta with oil using a pastry brush. If you don’t have a pastry brush, just dip your finger in the oil and moisten the edge of the pizzetta. Go light - too much oil will weigh down the puff pastry.
Sprinkle the pizzette with salt.
Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
Bake at 400° Farenheit / 200° Celcius for 10-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Tip
If any of the pizzette have puffed up too much, flatten them gently with a small spatula as soon as they come out of the oven.
Variations
Some people like to sprinkle dried oregano on the pizzette before baking. Stefano’s not a fan, so we don’t use it.
You can add a little mozzarella to the pizzette if you wish. Use real mozzarella and only a small cube; too much will keep the puff pastry from rising.
Feel free to get creative with your toppings - try olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, anchovies, or whatever sounds tasty.
Whether or not we watch the Super Bowl, we will catch an AS Roma soccer match in Rome. Roma has had a tough season. To the disbelief of fans, the American team ownership recently fired beloved head coach José Mourinho, announcing his replacement a few days later as Roma soccer legend Daniele De Rossi.
We considered getting tickets to the upcoming Roma-Inter Milan match, as Inter Milan is one of Italy’s legendary teams. But Luca, an ardent Roma fan, advised we may be better off going to the Roma-Cagliari match, which we have a better chance of winning.
On-location from Rome
Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter, which will be sent on-location from Rome!