Pastry Pockets with Lentils, Sausage, and Cheese

The pastry pockets with lentils, sausage, and cheese are a rustic and tasty dish, perfect for when you’re looking for something substantial and full of flavors.

Ingredients

• 250 g of puff pastry
• 150 g of lentils (already cooked)
• 200 g of sausage
• 100 g of soft cheese (for example, stracchino or scamorza)
• 1 clove of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg (for brushing)
• Rosemary (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. In a frying pan, sauté a clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage (without the skin) and let it brown until it is well cooked.
3. Add the already cooked lentils to the sausage and let it flavor for a few minutes. If you like, add some chopped rosemary to further aromatize the mixture. Adjust with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
4. Unroll the puff pastry and cut it into squares of about 10x10 cm.
5. Cut the cheese into cubes.
6. In the center of each puff pastry square, place a spoonful of the cooled lentil and sausage mixture and a few cubes of cheese.
7. Close the pockets by bringing the opposite corners of the square to the center and sealing them well with your fingers; make sure the mixture is well enclosed inside.
8. Brush the pastry pockets with the beaten egg to achieve a uniform golden color during baking.
9. Place the pastry pockets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and crispy.

Trivia

The pastry pockets are a very versatile preparation that allows you to also use leftover food as filling. In this case, the combination of lentils and sausage creates a blend of flavors that recalls the Italian peasant tradition, while the addition of melting cheese adds creaminess and binds all the ingredients together. This dish can be an excellent proposal for a buffet or an original appetizer.