Olive Parcels

 I think the original recipe for these, such as it is, came from and Allyson Gofton cookbook... But I am not certain!

Parmesan, pastry and olive these little parcels come together in moments! My Mummy used to make them to take as nibbles (Ladies, a Plate! NZ Style) to Adult Dinners - and I used to try to scoff as many as I could before she noticed... It was a good deal. I usually got in trouble, but it was worth it!

Now that I'm an adult (kinda-sorta) I can make them as and when I please/ have leftover pastry... The olives might make them a little less popular that my other leftover Pastry Snacks - but that just means more for meee!!!

"Leftover pastry" is possibly a slight misnomer here - because the easiest way to make these is to use pre-rolled puff or savoury short crust pastry cut into squares... But you can use any puff or savoury short crust, really - the pre-rolled stuff just saves you time!

Aside from "pitted" the olives can be any of your choice! Kalamata is my favourite - but stuffed, green olives are fun too...

You will need:

Puff or Savoury Short Crust pastry
Pitted olives
Grated parmesan cheese

Set your oven to 200 degrees C

Sprinkle the parmesan over your pastry and squish in with a rolling pin.

Cut the pastry into as many squares as you have olives, big enough to cover the olives.

Sit each olive inside a pastry square (with the parmesan facing down, so it will be on the outside) and fold each of the four corners of the pastry up and over the olive, pinching it in the middle to seal.

Place each parcel on a lined baking sheet and bake until the pastry is golden and cooked through. 10-15 ish minutes.

Try to wait for them to cool a bit before eating - the olives retain mouth-scorching heat for quite some time!

Further options:

sundried tomatoes and feta/ mozzarella

olives and feta

goats cheese and walnut