Vegetarian Filled Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 6 sheets of puff pastry
• flour (for dusting)
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 250 g pearl barley
• 1 onion
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp oil
• 0.25 l chicken broth
• 0.25 l dry white wine
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 3 tbsp crème fraîche
• 50 g blue cheese (e.g., Roquefort or Gorgonzola)
• 100 g fresh spinach (for serving)
• 8 small tomatoes
• 1 ball mozzarella
• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 200-220°C.

2. 2.

   Let the puff pastry thaw on a flat surface. For the filling, rinse the tomatoes, remove stems, halve and seed them, then dice finely. Peel the carrot and cut into small cubes. Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve. Peel the onion and garlic cloves, finely dice both, and sauté in hot oil until translucent. Add the barley and broth, then the carrot cubes; simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding wine as needed. When the grains are cooked and all liquid absorbed, season with salt and pepper. Fold in crème fraîche, diced tomatoes, and blue cheese pieces.

3. 3.

   Cut each puff pastry sheet in half and roll slightly larger on a lightly floured surface. Spread the barley mixture in the center of each piece, fold diagonally, press edges together, and brush with melted butter. Place on parchment-lined baking trays and bake for about 20 minutes until golden yellow.

4. 4.

   Wash and dry the spinach; let it drain. Slice the small tomatoes into wedges. Drain the mozzarella and cut into quarters. Arrange on a plate, drizzle with vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Add the baked puff pastry pieces immediately and serve hot.