Puff Pastry Octopuses

Puff pastry octopuses are a fun and creative appetizer that can be enjoyed by both adults and kids. They are perfect for a party or as an original snack and can be customized with your preferred filling.

Ingredients

• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• 1 egg (to brush)
• Filling of choice (for example, it can be ham and cheese, pesto, olive tapenade, or whatever you prefer)
• Black olives (for decoration)
• Black pepper or sesame seeds (optional, for decoration)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
2. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into strips about 2 cm wide.
3. If you want to add a filling, place it along the center of each pastry strip.
4. Roll a strip of puff pastry onto itself to form a spiral; this will be the “head” of the octopus.
5. Take another strip of puff pastry and wrap it around the “head,” letting the ends hang down like the “tentacles” of the octopus. You can make small cuts at the ends to make the tentacles more realistic.
6. Continue with the rest of the strips until you have formed all your puff pastry octopuses.
7. Brush each octopus with the beaten egg to give it a nice golden color when baked.
8. Decorate each “head” of the octopus with half a black olive to simulate the eyes.
9. If desired, sprinkle with some black pepper or sesame seeds for a decorative touch.
10. Gently place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
11. Bake the puff pastry octopuses for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Remove from the oven and serve your crispy and golden puff pastry octopuses.

Curiosity

Puff pastry is very versatile and allows for amazing results with simple manipulations. These fun appetizers are an example of how food can be not just tasty but also fun to prepare and present. Creativity in cooking often comes from playing with shapes and colors, thus also stimulating appetite and curiosity, especially in children.