Pizza Puffs

Hello again, readers! It is still December 12 and I'm going to hit you with a recipe that I made for Nate and I last week but first I must fill you in on some less-than-cheerful news: this past Sunday, I woke up to find Raleigh under a thick blanket of fluffy white snow. It was beautiful, but as you're about to find out, I may never want to see snow again for a very long time.

While bundled up on the couch reading a book I noticed a large water spot beginning to form on the living room ceiling. Upon investigation, this water spot was the least of our worries because there was a large leak in our second bedroom/Nate's office/cat room that was saturating the carpet and quickly on track to ruin all our belongings. We moved all our stuff out of the path of destruction, which was lucky because less than 5 hours later our ceiling fell. Our spare bedroom is currently under construction and my mood is definitely not very Christmas-y. Truthfully I want to just cover my head with a blanket and sleep until everything's fixed. I haven't really been cooking, sleeping or thinking of anything other than the chaos of my home-life.

 

So let me take you back to last week, before my home was turned upside down, and give you the recipe for Pizza Puffs: my take on a Chicagoland classic.

Pizza Puff

Less-than-golden Pizza Puffs

1/3 box of phyllo dough sheets, thawed and cut into 8X10 inch sheets (you'll use 4 sheets per puff)
4 Tbsp salted butter, melted
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp tomato paste
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
8-10 meatless meatballs, thawed and cut in half
2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 C parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with foil. Set aside until use.

In a saucepan, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Spoon in the tomato paste and dump in the can of fire-roasted tomatoes (liquid and all). Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Lower the heat and cover until you're ready to assemble.

Thaw the meatless balls and cut in half. Set aside.

Layering 3 sheets, butter the outer inch around each sheet using a basting brush. Spoon 1/2 C of sauce in the center of the square and smooth out as much as possible. Try not to overfill! Remember phyllo sheets are extremely delicate and will rip easily.

Top the sauce with 3 slices of halved meatlessball.

Sprinkle with 1/2 C of mozzarella cheese.

Fold the bottom half of the phyllo dough up toward the top. The goal is to have the top of the bottom portion of the dough in the center of the filling (super confusing I know, think fold "hamburger" style from when you were in elementary school). Brush the exposed dough with butter and repeat the fold with the top portion of the phyllo dough, again meeting the top in the middle of the filling. Brush with more butter.

Fold the sides in toward the middle of the filling to complete your pizza puff. Wrap this entire package in another sheet of phyllo dough, repeating the folding and buttering like before.

Place your newly formed puffs fold-side-down on your prepared baking sheet and top with *gasp* even more melted butter. This dish is equal parts decadent and comfort food.

Sprinkle the top of the puff with 1/4 C of shredded parmesan cheese.

Repeat with all remaining ingredients until you have 6 perfectly portioned Pizza Puffs (try saying that 5 times fast).

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until flaky and browned. You can tell from my picture we were not as patient and therefore our puffs did not achieve golden brown nirvana, still tasted delicious though! And please be careful as these little pockets will most likely have a temperature akin to the surface of the sun - remember, patience is a virtue!

Here's hoping my living situation quickly improves and I can get back to my holiday sprit-filled self in no time, for I fear I'm becoming a Scrooge.