Refrigerator Raider: Puff Pastry Sheets

*Refrigerator Raider is a series on RFR. We improvise and make something out of leftovers or neglected items in the fridge*

I haven't done a Refrigerator Raider in while...Readers, why aren't you reminding me??? :)

Puff Pastry is one of those Freezer staples. It's always good to have on hand and it takes up a narrow spot of real estate in the freezer, so why not?

But it's just sitting there. Haven't had a reason to use it - maybe because I forget that it's there?

Puff pastry is common with desserts, such as Apple Turnovers. But that won't exactly work for dinner...not while we're under surveilance at least. So today I'm making Puff Pastry Savory Mediterranean Tarts. It's a simple dish with an impressive name that i just pulled out of you know where -- the name, not the dish! (Maybe I should review English grammar from 8th grade...)

Puff Pastry Savory Mediterranean Tart

1 Puff Pastry Sheet, frozen

1 T butter, melted

2 T olive oil

2-3 cups of assorted vegetables (onions, mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, eggplant, whatever you have in your fridge)

5-6 garlic cloves, peeled, whole

1/4 c basil pesto
2 Tbsp Italian Flat Leaf Parsley chopped

2 Tbsp Basil chopped
1/4 c Goat Cheese (mild)

Preheat the oven at 350. Slice and dice your vegetables. I had Mushrooms, 1/2 zucchini, garlic cloves, and 1/2 an onion. I did not have anything else, so I opened a jar of roasted red peppers and added 2 of those into my mix. Almost anythign works - broccoli, asparagus, anything you like or have.

Heat olive oil on medium heat and add onions and garlic until tender. Then add all other vegetables.

While the vegetables are sauteeing, open your puff pastry sheet. It should be somewhat thawed. Gently unfold. My sheets cracked at the seams anyway, but that's no problem. Cut the sheets all the way down both creases, and then cut each of those in half, crossways, yielding 6 small rectangles:

Place each rectangle on a baking sheet and gently score each rectangle with a 1/2" border. Brush the borders with a little butter (and/or eggwash, if you like)
Stir the vegetable mixture again and add parsley and basil. And then turn off the heat. Spoon one Tbsp of pesto on each square. Spread the pesto within the scored lines. Spoon some of the vegetable mix on top of the pesto in each rectangle. Pile on as much as you can. Finally spoon a few "blobs" of goat cheese on each piece.

Bake in the oven until the edges have risen and browned. If possible wait until the goat cheese has browned a little.

Remove form the oven, drizzle extra virgin olive oil on each one and and serve immediately.

This was really a success at our house, so I am very eager to share this one with you. It required very few dishes, minimal cleanup, and it was really fast with a "fancy" finish. Two tarts per person plus a hearty salad was perfect for dinner. I am curious to see how this works for you! Enjoy!