Ortolana Baskets

The ortolana baskets are a delightful and colorful dish, excellent as an appetizer or as a side dish. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 roll of brisée pastry (or puff pastry if you prefer)
• 2 bell peppers (of different colors for a more lively effect, for example, one red and one yellow)
• 1 zucchini
• 1 small eggplant
• 150 g of champignon mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 100 g of goat cheese or feta (optional to add creaminess)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash and cut all the vegetables (peppers, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms) into small pieces and finely chop the onion.
3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent.
4. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté them in the pan until they are soft but still crunchy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Roll out the brisée pastry and cut out circles of about 10 cm in diameter.
6. Butter and flour some muffin tins (or use paper liners) and place the pastry circles inside, shaping them into basket forms.
7. Fill each basket with the sautéed vegetable mixture. If desired, add a small piece of goat cheese or feta on top of the vegetables.
8. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crispy.
9. Serve the ortolana baskets warm or at room temperature.

Curiosity

The baskets can be personalized in many ways: for a rich variant, before adding the vegetables, you can spread some Genovese pesto or ricotta on the bottom of the basket. And if you’re a fan of strong flavors, try using blue cheese instead of goat cheese!