Olive-Parmesan Pizza Rolls

These little puppies have swiftly become one of our very favorite appetizer kind of munchy bites.   They're fun to eat, easy to throw together and super delicious, which automatically qualifies them for rock star status in these parts.  What we're talking about here is pizza dough stuffed with olive tapenade and parmesan cheese, rolled up and baked until golden, soft and ever so tasty.  And if you're not all that keen on working with pizza dough, you could easily sub it out for some puff pastry.

Of course, there are very few things made with pizza dough that we don't love, but these really are sort of special.  And if you use store-bought pizza dough and a jar of already made olive tapenade, you can have these in the oven and baking in about the time it takes to open that bottle of wine you're going to want to sip on between bites.  Of course, you can also sip on the wine while you're making them; all the better, I say.    

So basically, you're just going to roll out your pizza dough into a rectangular-ish shape and then spread some olive tapenade over that.  Sprinkle with some grated parmesan cheese and then roll it up...

thusly, and then slice it.  Place your slices on a baking sheet...

... and then bake them until they look like this...

Only yours will probably look better than mine.  The trick is to eat them while they're still warm for optimal flavor and enjoyment.  They reheat easily in a low oven (around 300 degrees).

There's really not much else one can say about fresh, warm pizza rolls.  Except that they'd be awesome with a bowl of soup or a salad or as an appetizer.  Of course, they're particularly happy when paired with your favorite glass of vino.  Here's the recipe...

Olive Parmesan Pizza Rolls

If you aren't that keen on working with pizza dough, you could easily sub it out for some puff pastry.  If you opt for the puff pastry route, just use the whole cup of olive tapenade as the puff pastry sheets are larger than 8x12.  

Recipe adapted from Relish magazine

Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients:
12 oz pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
1/2 cup olive tapenade (I used more), store bought or homemade (see recipe below)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Roll pizza dough out to about an 8 x 12-inch rectangle.  Spread the olive tapenade over dough, leaving 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle with cheese. 

Carefully roll up the dough, starting at long side. Cut in 1-inch slices. Place slices in prepared pan. Coat top with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

Olive Tapenade

Makes about 1 cup

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

1/2 cup pitted black olives, such as Niçoise or oil-cured olives (I used a combination of kalamata,               green olives and black olives
1 tablespoon drained caper
2 drained oil-packed anchovy fillets
3 medium cloves garlic
5 basil leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon loosely packed fresh oregano, marjoram, or thyme leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh juice from 1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed

1. In a food processor combine olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, basil (if using), other herbs, and mustard in the work bowl and process, scraping down the sides, until a finely chopped paste forms. Process in lemon juice. With the processor running, drizzle in just enough olive oil to loosen to a spreadable paste, about 2 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper only if needed.