Less than one week remain until VALENTINE’S DAY!   Although many of us who have found our “other half” also have kids (and may not be able to go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day), we should not give up on celebrating!    This week I would like to propose to you a recipe for a very tasty and elegant appetizer, ideal for celebrating the “day of love” at home with our family!   But before I go ahead, let me just inform you that VALENTINE’S DAY is a celebration followed also in Italy, exactly the same day as yours: February 14th.       And I would like to add that, in Italy, perhaps just to find the way to make more money (for restaurateurs and other businesses who cater to such holidays) they introduced another festivity, on February 15th, where they celebrate “SINGLES”!  So each “free” person goes out to parties organized just to celebrate their being alone, or maybe to find their soul-mate…    Do you celebrate Singles too?     Well whether you are single or in a relationship, you will fall in LOVE with this recipe!!!

INGREDIENTS for 4 servings (about 15 hearts)

1 thawed puff pastry sheet               (1 foglio di pasta sfoglia)

2-3 tbs rosemary (dry or fresh)     (2-3 cucchiai di rosmarino)

2-3 tbs parmesan cheese             (2-3 cucchiai di grana

1 beaten egg                                   (uovo sbattuto)

8-10 slices of bacon                (8-10 fette di pancetta affumicata)

 DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F. (250 C.).   Lay the puff pastry sheet on a baking paper, and brush on some of the beaten egg (you will need more of it in the next steps).    Then sprinkle the rosemary, and then the parmesan.

Arrange the slides of bacon on the top, as regularly as you can.

Fold one side of the puff pastry toward the middle, and then do the same for the other side creating 2 equal halves.

Apply to the top some more beaten egg, and then fold the two sides together, as shown in the picture.

 Brush the rest of the beaten egg on the outside of your loaf, and then cut it in slices about 1/2 inch wide.(Since the pastry will be very sticky at this point, I usually use a kitchen scissors, or a very sharp knife to cut it).

Arrange the obtained hearts on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.  Bake for about 20 minutes on the middle rack of your oven.

Enjoy your appetizer still warm!

LEARNT IT, MADE IT, LOVED IT!

Tips: – This appetizer is absolutely delicious, fancy, and simple to prepare, so I would make it any time I have some guests to impress!

         – If you know that you will not have time enough for preparing the hearts at dinner time, you can also make them during the day, and keep them refrigerated, and bake them at the very last minute.

        – Since they are made with puff pastry, these appetizer have to be eaten immediately, and are not ideal as leftovers.

       – According to my experience, kids love this food (who doesn’t love bacon?!?) so don’t hesitate to make them happy with this fun Valentine treat!

I really hope you like this recipe, and please, if you do,

share it, like it, leave a comment, and subscribe to receive a new recipe each week for free,

and help support my blog!

Much thanks,

Silvia