Filled Pastry Sticks

I'm very proud to introduce you my very own recipe... Pastry Sticks!!!

I first made them for Christmas two years ago and it was a total success, they disappeared within seconds. Now they have become a classic in any family meeting.

BASIC INGREDIENTS:

Square Pastry Dough 30x35 cm aprox.

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Egg (Decoration)

Herbes de Provence

Sea salt

FILLINGS: (you can use almost anything)

3-4 Piquillo Peppers (you can use baked red peppers too)

100g Blood Sausage

1 Can Anchovies OR 100g Ham with some Cheese

Peppers: In a pan, put some olive oil and caramelize it adding a teaspoon of sugar. Then, chop them and mix them with a tablespoon of butter.

Blood Sausage: Just cut it in one finger thick sticks

Ham: Cook it in a pan for a few seconds to make it more tasty

Cheese: Cut it in thin stripes

OR

Anchovies: Chop them and mix them with a tablespoon of butter

- Mark a line in the middle of the dough. If the pastry dough is not square, mark a line in the half of the long side.

- Put the ingredients in three strips parallel to the short side. If you are using ham, roll it along with the cheese strips (you can also chop it and make a mix).

- Cover the fillings with the other half of the pastry dough and make sure the upper dough sticks to the bottom layer. If the dough sticks to your fingers you can dip them in water.

- Make lots of holes using a fork so that the pastry doesn't grow too much when baking.

- Cut the dough in 2cm (3/4 inch) thick sticks.

- Spread a beaten egg on the sticks using a brush, and dust some Herbes de Provence and sea salt on them.

- Bake them at 200ºC (400F) for 10min until golden.

You can serve them as appetizer, main dish or side dish. You can also use other fillings such as:

Pepper Filling: Red pepper, Onion and Green pepper

Shellfish Filling: Mussel, Prawn and Surimi

Fish Filling: Salmon, Tuna and Cod

Cheese Filling: Camembert, Brie and Roquefort

You can also try a sweet filling, but instead of using Herbes de Provence and salt, put some sugar and cinnamon on top.

Fruit Filling: Apple, Pear and Plum