Makes: About 18 small turnovers
Time: About 1 hour
A savory Mediterranean take on the turnover. Once you’ve got the rolling and forming technique down, the possibilities for fillings are pretty much endless.
1. Put the tomatoes, olives, cheese, parsley, egg yolk, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
2. Lightly dust a counter with flour. Cut the pastry in half; wrap one half and place it in the fridge as you roll the other out, sprinkling with more flour as necessary, until the dough is about ¼ inch thick and about 12 inches on each side. Cut the pastry into nine 4-inch squares.
3. Put a heaping tablespoon of the tomato mixture in the center of each square; brush the edges of the pastry very lightly with water, then fold over the corners to form a triangle. Seal by pressing the edges gently with a fork, then use the fork to poke the top of each turnover 3 times so steam can escape. Put the turnovers on ungreased baking sheets, about an inch apart, and chill while you heat the oven (or for up to several hours).
4. Repeat with the second half of the pastry.
5. Heat the oven to 375°F. Brush the tops of the turnovers with a little water and sprinkle lightly with pepper. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the turnovers are golden brown. Serve hot or warm.
PEAR-BLUE CHEESE TURNOVERS For the filling, core 1 large pear (peel if you like) and grate or finely chop it. Toss it with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, then fold in ½ cup crumbled blue cheese and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme. Other good additions here: up to ½ cup chopped walnuts or prosciutto.
MUSHROOM TURNOVERS Fill the pastry with the mixture from the Mushroom Strudel variation.