Pesto Pinwheels

I have recently become inspired by puff pastry and all of its wonders. Coming off of my success with the asparagus and goat cheese tart, I decided to see how else I could employ this marvelous product. After scouring the internet for ideas, I decided I would attempt to create pinwheels using this ever-versatile dough.

Although the idea of pinwheels may not be original, I have never used puff pastry to make them and was anxious to see how it would turn out...would it really be as flaky as promised or would my little pinwheels refuse to puff out? I am pleased to report that the puff pastry did not disappoint on either count; the pinwheels were quite flaky and all of them puffed up into round little circles, despite my uneven cutting at first.

As for the filling, this was where I truly let my creative juices flow. For the first time in a long time, I actually came up with the recipe all on my own, based on ingredients that I thought would go well. I knew that I wanted to create a pesto type filling but I didn't want to make the traditional basil pesto, mainly because my family isn't too crazy about basil. Instead, I opted for a spinach pesto, and also added cilantro to create a second flavor complementary to the spinach. I also decided to use feta cheese instead of the traditional Parmesan cheese because my family loves feta. Lastly, I took a chance and added some walnuts into the mix, more out of curiosity than anything else.

At first I was a little nervous to push the button and actually create the pesto...after all, I am a recipe follower, not creator. However, I was extremely pleased with the result. The pesto tasted wonderful, both in the pinwheels and as a bread spread. Also, the addition of the walnuts gave it a very interesting nutty flavor which complemented the spinach and cilantro well. Looking back, I think that this successful experiment will definitely get my creative juices going and has inspired me to create more of my own, original recipes.

Pesto Pinwheels

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 4 cups spinach leaves, washed and dried
• 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Note: This recipe makes for a lot more pesto than is needed to spread over the dough. Extra pesto can be served cold alongside bred or crackers as a spread, or heated up and used as a pasta sauce.

Place all of the pesto ingredients into the food processor and puree until smooth.









Spread the pesto over the dough and roll into a log. Freeze the log for an hour and then cut into pieces about 1/4" thick. Place pieces with flat side down onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit. Plate and enjoy!