Happy nearly New Year, all! I’ve been trying to grapple with the fact that a year ago at this time there was nary a NOODLE to speak of. I can’t quite remember what the hell I was ever doing with my life without this sweet platform. Thank you so much for being here, reading, watching, cooking, and baking along with me. I feel massively lucky to have expanded my readership from the likes of my mom, girlfriend, and two very dear friends who helped me get this thang off the ground (Lovers, I’m looking at you) to over 5,000 subscribers.
What I’ve loved most is hearing from YOU! Truthfully, I kind of live for your feedback, comments, and critiques, so if the spirit moves you, please, by all means:
And on this note, I have to-date received one piece of hate mail, to which I internalized a sincere sentiment of, “I’ve really made it now!” So thank you to the hater out there, too.
I offer this summary to accompany a somewhat sappy sentiment, which is that the interconnectivity between food and life’s seemingly un-gastronomic moments never ceases to stun me. They’re endless. And I hope that the overlapping circles of the Life + Food Venn diagram make you tick as much as me. All of the random interweavings just makes this whole existence thing a lot more interesting.
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GETTING CHEDDARY
Let’s wrap out the year by wrapping up some food.
IT’S AROUND THIS TIME OF YEAR THAT I WISH I OWNED STOCK IN DUFOUR
The task is simple. Lay out a piece of puff pastry, rolling it slightly thinner. Cut in half, top with olive oil, many herbs, cheese of your choosing, crushed fennel seeds, some spice (if you like), and soppressata. Repeat with the second piece. Give it a good tri-fold (here’s your sleeping bag moment) and chill.
ZIP IT UP
Score, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with many sesame seeds and more herbs. Bake, slice, cozy down, and SHARE. This is meant to be consumed by many. And is obviously satisfying when followed by all the bubbly things perhaps in your future this weekend. Not the partying type but still want to indulge? Just make half the recipe.
PIGS IN A SLEEPING BAG, AS ADVERTISED
THE NOODLE
Might I have NOODLE’d with a gochujang and soppressata version? Quite possibly. Might I have saved you from serving a pizza bagel-adjacent appetizer at your New Year’s party? Most definitely. Also NOODLE’d with a deeper cut pre-baking rather than a light score, to which I say, no thank you:
LIFE LESSON: LESS IS MORE.
A quick pivot (because fennel seeds in conjunction with many herbs, a good dose of butter, and cured pork is rarely unwelcome) plus a few more trials, and just like that, the final version— nearly porchetta-like in terms of flavor and very much fit for closing out the year— came to life. Indeed, those piggies and their blankies are down for the count… at least until 2024.
SERVE ‘EM WARM!
Cheesy, Puffy Pastries With Soppressata, Fennel Seed, Sesame, and Herbs
CHEESY, PUFFY SESAME PASTRIES WITH SOPPRESSATA, FENNEL SEED, AND HERBS
Makes about 26 pastries; serves 15-20
REMEMBER, BEST PRACTICE: READ THE RECIPE ALL THE WAY THROUGH BEFORE YOU START COOKING!
Take note! These are best served warm, on the day that they’re baked. The rolls can be assembled and chilled in advance. If you prepare ahead, keep covered in the freezer and increase bake time by 8-12 minutes.
If, when you slice the baked pastry, the interior looks slightly underdone, simply place the slices flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 minutes. (This is also a great way to rewarm.) Tip: use a serrated knife for slicing the pastry after baking.
Want to go vegetarian? No problem– just omit the soppressata.
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 bunch thyme
One 6-inch (or comparable) spring rosemary
2 heaping teaspoons fennel seeds
4 ounces thinly sliced soppressata or salame
5 ounces melty cheese, such as gruyère, sharp white cheddar, or fontina, grated (about 1 ½ cups lightly packed)
1 ounce Pecorino Romano, grated (about ¼ cup lightly packed)
Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, optional
Olive oil, for brushing
One (14 ounce) package Dufour puff pastry (see *note if using Pepperidge Farm puff pastry)
Flour, for dusting work surface
¼ cup untoasted sesame seeds
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Finely chop enough leaves from one bunch flat leaf parsley to measure 1 packed cup and add to a medium bowl. Finely chop enough leaves from one bunchthyme to measure 3 packed tablespoons. From one 6-inch sprig of rosemary, very finely chop enough needles to measure 1 packed tablespoon. Add the herbs to the bowl and mix to combine.
3. Finely grind 2 heaping teaspoons fennel seeds in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. (Or do what I love to do and blend an entire jar of fennel seeds in your blender! Ground fennel seeds are what you’ll want to use 95% of the time, anyway.)
4. Place 4 ounces sliced soppressata on a work surface and cut into thin slices, about ½-inch thick.
5. Assemble everything you need to construct the rolls: 5 ounces grated melty cheese, 1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano, the soppressata, bowl of herbs, ground fennel seed, red pepper flakes or cayenne (if using), salt, and pepper. Pour about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl and pull out a pastry brush.
6. Unwrap the Dufour puff pastry sheet* and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use a pizza wheel or large chef’s knife to cut the sheet in half lengthwise, yielding two pieces, approximately 7 ½” x 10” each. Working with one piece at a time (keeping the other piece in the refrigerator or freezer as you work), roll to a measurement of approximately 8” x 15”. Place on the prepared parchment-lined sheet pan and chill. Repeat with the other piece and transfer to the sheet pan to chill.
7. Place a sheet of parchment on your work surface. Remove one piece of pastry from the refrigerator or freezer and very lightly brush with olive oil. (The pastry is already quite buttery so overdoing it at this stage will only yield greasy slices; you are only ever so slightly moistening the pastry so that the herbs will stick.) Sprinkle with slightly less than half of the herbs, half of the ground fennel seed, ½ teaspoon salt, a generous grinding of black pepper, and a light sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne, if using. Lightly roll the rolling pin on top of the herbs once or twice to encourage them to adhere to the pastry. Sprinkle half of both cheeses on top, followed by half of the soppressata.
THE TRI FOLD
8. Using the parchment paper to help you, fold one of the long sides towards the other long side, to cover two-thirds of the pastry. Lightly brush the pastry that you just folded over with olive oil and sprinkle with another pinch or two of herbs. (You’re now sprinkling herbs on what was once the underside of the pastry.) Again using the parchment, bring the other long side up and over to meet the opposite, folded edge, to create a tri-fold. Slide the log onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and keep chilled. Repeat with the remaining piece of pastry. (Be sure to leave enough herbs for a light sprinkling on the rolls just before they bake.)
9. When finished with the second piece, slide onto the baking sheet with the other roll and chill until firm, 15-30 minutes. (You can chill each roll separately if a sheet tray won’t fit in your freezer or refrigerator.)
10. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the top of the pastry in 1-inch intervals on the bias, being careful not to cut through the dough. Very lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with any remaining herbs and ¼ cup sesame seeds.
11. Transfer to the oven and bake, rotating halfway through, until the edges are deeply golden and the sesame seeds are toasted, about 30-40 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife. (It will be difficult to get nice slices if you cut while too warm.) Use a gentle, back and forth sawing motion for the cleanest slices. If you want to rewarm the pieces or give them an extra toast, arrange the slices, cut side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
*NOTE: If working with Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, use both sheets from one 17.3-ounce package. Roll each 9” x 9” sheet to approximately 9½” x 13”.
This!! The title, the recipe.....Nora! I love being reminded of your genius.
Oh yes! this looks soooooooo good