Tomato and Oregano Puff Bites

La storia di questo piatto

These little rounds belong to the Italian family kitchen, a home recipe rather than a monument of tradition, made of five humble things and loved by everyone at the table. Tomato, oregano and good olive oil speak the quiet, sunlit language of the whole peninsula.

Ingredienti

• 460 g Round puff pastry
• 300 g Tomato passata
• 15 g Extra virgin olive oil
• 3 g Dried oregano
• 2 g Fine salt

Preparazione

1. Preheat the conventional oven to 200°C. Work with the puff pastry straight from the fridge, unrolling it on its baking paper on the work surface. Using a glass about 7 centimetres wide or a cookie cutter, cut as many regular circles as possible, pressing firmly and without twisting. You should get about 30. Gather the leftover scraps without kneading them, roll them out gently with a rolling pin and cut more discs: they will be less flaky, but still good. If you need to wait, cover the cut discs with cling film and keep them in the fridge: the enemy of puff pastry is melting butter, not air.
2. Place each circle on the baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving a little space between them. During baking the pastry puffs slightly and needs room: if they touch, they stick together and lose their shape. If needed, use two trays.
3. Take a fork and prick only the centre of each disc, where the passata will go, with many closely spaced holes. This keeps the middle flat and crisp, while the free edge puffs slightly and frames the pizzetta.
4. Spoon about a heaped teaspoon of tomato passata into the centre of each disc and, using the back of the spoon, spread it gently outwards in small circles. Stop before the edge: leave about half a centimetre of bare pastry all around, so the rim stays dry, golden and crisp and doesn't go soggy.
5. Season each pizzetta with a few drops of good extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of fine salt and a sprinkle of dried oregano, rubbing it between your fingertips just above the pizzetta to release its aroma. Dried oregano is more intense than fresh, so don't overdo it.
6. Bake the pizzette in the preheated conventional oven at 200°C, on the middle shelf. After 12 minutes start checking: they are ready when the edges are well browned and puffed, the base is dry and the sauce has thickened without drying out. Usually they take about 15 minutes, but every oven has its own character, so trust your eyes more than the timer.
7. Take the pizzette out and let them rest for about 5 minutes on the work surface, or better still on a wire rack. The steam escapes, the pastry settles and stays crisp, and you won't burn your mouth. Serve them warm or at room temperature, tasting one to adjust the salt and oregano to your liking next time.