Red and Green Pesto Sticks with parmesan are made with phyllo, creating a crunchy and easy appetizer for the holiday season. A crowd-pleaser is guaranteed!
This holiday season will be a hit with those two colours Pesto Sticks. They are easy to do and super crunchy without all the fat from the usual puff pastry. I’ve used two types of pesto: the famous green pesto, a la Genovese (basil) and a red pesto (dried tomato). I thought it would be great to have both colours for the holidays. Those fingers are a nice bite for any dinner party, finger buffet or snack. You can quickly cook them ahead of time, and they stay crispy and tasty for long leaving you time to work on other things while the guests are gathering around the table.
The Cheese
This recipe suggests parmesan because it adds an extra umami touch, but could easily be any aged cheese. Like an aged cheddar, gouda, gruyere, whatever you dig. There is no need to be too generous; just one thin layer is plenty. Otherwise, if you use a young cheese, it will melt out, make a mess, and won’t taste much.
The Pesto
You can use a pre-made pesto or make your own. For my part, I’ve used a concentrated pesto from an Italian restaurant I love. They make such a dense pesto a la Genovese I had to dilute it with extra olive oil for this recipe. In the directions, I don’t specify this: because pesto can have many consistencies, make sure it’s liquid enough to spread with a brush on the phyllo sheets. We’ll have two layers of pesto spread, and the third and final layer is empty, simply olive oil, so the colour from the pesto doesn’t show. They look innocent and plain, but once you bite into one, a powerful punch of flavour will emerge.
The Technique
As for the instruments for Two Colored Pesto Sticks, I suggest you use an olive oil spray or a brush; it is always lighter and prevents the fingers from getting too oily. As for the technique, look above for pictures to visualize the amount of pesto. If you use too much pesto, your rolls will become too oily and drip. Note that my pesto is super dense, so you might need to adjust it with oil to make it workable.
Other Festive Appetizers
So, let’s make those Two Colored Pesto Sticks!
Two Colours Pesto Sticks
Ingredients
- 260 g phyllo sheets (2 x 6 sheets)
- 50 g basil pesto (a la Genovese)
- 50 g dried tomato pesto
- 50 g parmesan (or aged cheddar, etc.)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (in spray better)
- salt
Instructions
- Take out the phyllo from the freezer 1 hour ahead of time.
- Start by laying one sheet plus a light spray of olive oil (or brushed lightly).
- Makes this step 3 times, adding the sheets one over the other.
- Add a layer of pesto (red or green) and add another sheet on top.
- Add a fine layer of cheese (parmesan or aged cheese), then another sheet.
- Add a last thin layer of pesto ( Six stacked sheets).
- Cut the phyllo stacked sheets into 5 cm large stripes.
- Roll them up in thin cylinders.
- Repeat with the other six sheets with the different pesto colours.
- Add them to a baking sheet on an oven tray and add a light spray of olive oil plus salt.
- Cook at 180°C (350F°) for 10 minutes or until light golden.
Nutrition
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9 Comments
These look and sound so tasty! Perfect for holidays!
Thanks!
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You had me at Pesto! These sound so good.
2 Pesto styles even better!
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