Pork & Veal Sausage Rolls.

A recipe for sausage roll lovers.

I have to admit I’ve always loved sausage rolls – I still remember those cold winter days at school, the smell of piping hot sausage rolls floating from the canteen pie warmers and into the playground. There was something comforting about it then and I’m not sure exactly what it was.

“Perhaps it was biting into something that immediately warmed you up, or maybe it was simply the cravings I had for those little tasty pillows of savoury mince.”

We lived in New Zealand for a while from the end of 2009, and I have to say that New Zealand has the best sausage rolls I have every tasted, anywhere. From local bakeries to roadside cafes, the consistency was remarkable. I never once had a dry sausage roll, they were always deliciously moist no matter what time of day I decided to indulge. We have a lot of great bakeries in Australia churning out delicious sausage rolls also of course, and in all different and creative varieties.

sausage roll recipe — Preparation underway

I’ve called this recipe “Luxe Sausage Rolls” because of the ingredients that I consider to be a little luxurious either on their own or when combined. For example, in this sausage roll recipe I am using day old artisan bread, freshly ground pork and veal mince, a couple of drops of my favourite french red wine, pistachio nuts and fennel, not to mention the moorish raspberry jam and rosemary that ties all of this deliciousness together.

I’ve made sausage rolls before to varying degrees of self-delight. I find sticking to a pork and veal mince as a base is a good idea, as is using ingredients that naturally belong together – I love combining cranberries and pine nuts together for example.

“For this recipe I wanted something a little ‘extra special’ for a New Years Eve party tonight. Our fabulous neighbours Stephen and Toni are hosting a dinner to see in 2018, and I’m hoping my baking efforts go down a treat with them and their guests.”

Sausage rolls have been given a bad name over the years for being a quick moorish ‘snack on the run’ – this recipe brings a little elegance back to the humble sausage roll as it so rightfully deserves. I hope you enjoy them as much as I loved creating this recipe.

Sausage rolls like you’ve never had before

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my articles throughout 2017 and wish you and your family a safe and wonderful 2018.

What you’ll need:

2 cups of bread crumbs made from day old artisan bread (gluten free in need)

4 tablespoons of full cream milk

1kg of pork and veal mine

1 medium size leek chopped (use the white end of the leek)

5 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped finely

1 cup of grated fennel

50 grams of crushed pistachio nuts

3 tablespoons of raspberry jam

3 tablespoons of your favourite red wine

3 eggs (use 1 egg whisked with a little milk for an egg wash to brush on the sausage rolls before baking)

Half a cup of chopped rosemary

Sea salt and milled pepper

Sesame seeds

5 sheets of good quality shop-bought puff pastry (if you have a easy to make puff pastry please feel free to share it below)

home made sausage roll recipe — Almost baking time

How to:

Preheat oven to 190°C
Add the breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl
Add the remaining ingredients including the mince, leek, garlic, raspberry jam, 2 eggs (lightly whisked), rosemary, pistachio nuts, fennel, red wine and salt and pepper
Gently mix by hand all the ingredients together until evenly combined
Prepare your pastry sheets on your clean kitchen bench and break the mixture up evenly along one edge of each sheet. You should be able to divide the mixture across 4 – 5 pastry sheets depending on what size sausage rolls you are wanting to make. I prefer cocktail size rolls and the cooking time in this recipe is based on that
Roll the pastry sheet over until it closes and overlaps slightly
Brush your egg-wash along the edge of the closing point to seal the pastry, and discard any access pastry. Repeat with the remaining sheets
Place seam-side down on your grease-proof paper lined baking trays and brush egg-was across the top of each long roll before sprinkling with sesame seeds
With a sharp knife, slice each roll into six – seven pieces and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown
Serve with home made tomato sauce (recipe below)
Makes 30 – 36.

Home made tomato sauce, garnished with a white cucumber slice, rosemary and sesame seeds

Real Tomato Sauce Recipe

For the tomato sauce – in a saucepan place 1.5kg of chopped ripe tomatoes, 100g of sultanas, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar), 1 apple (peeled and diced), 2 crushed cloves, sprinkle of salt and pepper and a cinnamon stick.

Simmer on a low heat until the ingredients completely break-up. Allow to cool, remove the cinnamon stick and blend to a smooth sauce.