Shaved Asparagus and Feta Pastries

Recipe developed and contributed by Maureen Gualtieri

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Asparagus season! I’m celebrating by cramming as many of these fresh, gorgeously green spears of goodness into my meals as I can. Part of the charm of asparagus lies in its delicate and distinctive flavour, as well as its crisp and juicy texture. In this month’s recipe, the former is supported beautifully by the rich notes of DFC’s Coconut Chili Lime sauce; the latter is maintained (even when baked in a buttery pastry!) by the preparation technique of shaving. So hit the farmer’s market and bust out the vegetable peeler – Fortune favours the bold this Asparagus Season!

Shaved Asparagus and Feta Pastries

 (Yield: 24 small pastries)

 1 450g package of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1 bunch asparagus

200g feta cheese, crumbled

1 green onion, minced

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1/ 4 c. DFC’s Coconut Chili Lime sauce

1 egg beaten

sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Wash your asparagus, and, with a vegetable peeler, begin shaving thin slices lengthwise down each spear. (Rather than snap off the woody bottoms of the spears, use them as a grip to hold the spears steady as you shave. Then compost the nubs once done!) Put your asparagus shavings in a large bowl, and add crumbled feta cheese, minced green onion, black pepper, and DFC’s Coconut Chili Lime sauce. Mix the whole thing together really well; you may need to get your hands in there!

Unroll your thawed puff pastry and cut it into as accurate squares as possible. (My pastry came in two sheets, each of which I was able to cut into squares-ish in a 4×3 grid. Your mileage may vary.) Spoon up about a heaping tablespoon’s worth of asparagus-feta filling, and place on a pastry square in a diagonal line, corner to corner. Lift up the other corners (the ones without filling), pinch them together, and fold down to form a sealed tube of pastry surrounding the filling. Repeat with the rest of the filling and pastry squares, and place the pastries on up to 3 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush the pastries with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Slide them into your oven and bake for 20-23 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Ingredients
These savoury pastries will come together quickly using the following ingredients: Asparagus, feta cheese, green onion, black pepper, sesame seeds, a beaten egg, store bought puff pastry dough, and DFC’s Coconut Chili Lime sauce
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