Lazy mille feuilles with pesto sauce

I don't think necessity is the mother of invention - invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble.

(Agatha Christie)

I thought I could make this recipe when I have people over and am too bored to cook properly for some reason (what reason?). It looks impressive although it’s very easy to make and it is very tasty, with all the vegetables of the good lord in it. And with some white wine it goes down very well indeed.

4 servings

For the Mille Feuilles

• 700 gr puff pastry
• 300 gr.mushrooms (different kinds are okay) sliced or chopped
• 2 red or orange bell peppers sliced
• 2 zucchinis sliced
• 300 gr . pecorino peeled or grated
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 100 ml white wine
• salt - pepper

Cut the each pastry sheet in 6 oblong pieces (round are okay too). Pierce them with a fork (we don’t want them to get too puffy), place them on a baking sheet and bake them for 20 minutes or until golden, at 220°C.

In the meantime, heat half the oil and sauté the garlic and mushrooms until tender but not too tender. Add the wine, cover and let it simmer for 3 minutes.

In a frying pan pour the rest of the oil, the peppers and the zucchini and fry until tender. Mix mushrooms, peppers and zucchini and taste for seasoning.

Now the pastry is ready. On a piece of pastry layer the vegetables and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with another pastry square and again, add a layer of vegetables and cheese. Top with a third pastry square and sprinkle with cheese.

Repeat with the remaining pastry squares.

Bake the Mille Feuilles for about 5 minutes or until the cheeses have melted and serve hot with a spoonful of pesto sauce on the side.

For the pesto sauce:

• 3 tablespoons of pine nuts (slightly roasted)
• 1 ½ garlic clove, chopped
• 2 ½ cups fresh basil, chopped
• 120 gr. grated parmesan
• 120 gr. grated pecorino
• 1 cup good olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Put the garlic and basil into a pestle and mortar and pound. We add the pine nuts and pound again. Turn out the mixture in a bowl and add parmesan and pecorino and stir. If you want you can omit the pecorino and replace with parmesan. I do this for this recipe only, so that it isn’t too salty. Add oil, little by little, and go on stirring, until it becomes a wet paste. All the time taste for seasoning. We can do it in a blender but with the pestle, I think the flavours really come out.