It was one of those days when the fridge contained a little bit of this and a little bit of that, as well as more little bits of this and that which we really needed to use.  Oli decided to wrap it all up in the half of already thawed puff pastry sheet that was among the this and thats. The result was a pretty darn good pizza snack.

A light puff pastry wrap, a savory filling, a bit of an unexpected, yet subtle crunch from almonds, rich ham, cheese, a few fresh herbs make these little snacks taste and look like you spent hours preparing them.  In reality it’s a quick no brainer that presents an opportunity to use your imagination and those little bits of this and that which you really don’t know what do with.  You can use Oli’s recipe as posted here, or you can certainly make endless substitutions for the filling depending on what’s in your fridge.

As these mini pizzas were being taken out of the oven, my friend Becky and her son Chad stopped by for a visit.  Now, if anyone is a pizza expert, it’s Chad!  As we caught up, savored a long overdue visit and munched,  Chad exclaimed “Oli is a really good chef!”

You really don’t need an excuse to make these pizzas, but they would be a perfect offering while you cheer on your favorite horse in the upcoming Kentucky Derby.

Party Pizzas
Makes 20 small Pizzas

Filling
1/4 cup finely chopped ham
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup seeded and finely chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or basil
1/4 cup finely chopped cheese of choice
1 teaspoon grated garlic
2 tablespoons ketchup
Salt and pepper

Pastry
1/2 of a 17.3 ounce package of frozen puff pastry
(We had Pepperidge Farm on hand.)
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 425 F
1.  In a medium bowl mix together ham, almonds, tomatoes, parsley or basil, cheese, garlic and ketchup. Salt and pepper to taste.
2.  Place pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Evenly spread filling over pastry.

3.  Roll pastry dough jelly roll style until you have a long roll.  Do not roll too tightly.
4.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices and arrange them on a buttered or a non stick baking sheet. Press them just a little.

5.  In a small bowl, mix egg yolk and milk until blended. Lightly brush each pizza round with mixture.
6.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.