Recipes
Companion to Cooking4onetips App
 
                     
     
   
    SAUSAGE ROLLS    
 
    Sausage rolls are a favourite but usually bought frozen and then thawed as part of the heating process.  Making your own is really easy and it certainly impresses others when taken as a contribution to a party.  Kids love them as well.  
    Ingredients    
 
    > Sausage meat (eg from the supermarket, usually in 450 to 500g rolls).    
    > A large (yellow, ie normal) onion (or 2 small)    
    > Butter puff (flaky) pastry bought as frozen sheets (you'll need two sheets)    
      (The pastry type is a personal preference but a critical part of the "taste" experience. It may be some experimentation is required.)    
    > Salt and pepper seasoning to taste.    
    You also need a solid oven tray and optional but to make life easier, baking paper and flour.    
    Instructions    
 
    > Preparation    
 
      Get two sheets of pastry out to start the thawing process. (If your kitchen is very warm/hot, watch the process carefully because the sheets become virtually impossible to deal with if they get too warm. Consider putting the thawed sheets in the fridge once you have undertaken the next task.)    
      When the sheets are pliable, carefully fold each in half and run a knife down the fold to get two equal sized pieces from each.  You will be making four lengths of sausage roll.  Leave the plastic backing on the sheets to peel off at the end of the process.    
      Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (heating a solid tray also).    
      Chop the onion finely and cook until soft (90 to 120 seconds in the microwave works well)    
    > The mix    
 
      Lay some baking paper out onto a cutting board, sprinkle some flour on it (to prevent too much sausage meat from sticking to the paper). Then flatten the sausage meat onto the paper. (This is so you have a better chance of getting an even distribution of onion, salt and pepper into your mix.)    
      Now apply a little salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper (to taste) evenly onto the flattened sausage meat.    
      After letting the cooked onions cool down, spread them evening onto the sausage meat.      
      Now gather up the mix and put into a bowl, squeezing through your fingers several times to ensure the added ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the mix.    
      When you're happy that the mix is ready, get it out of the bowl and put again onto the baking paper (or a new sheet) sprinkled with flour.  Make an even "loaf" so you can cut it into four equal portions.    
    > The mix onto the pastry    
 
      Put three portions aside and deal with one at a time.  Replace the baking paper and sprinkle some flour onto it. Also set up a further sheet of baking paper to put your completed rolls onto.    
      Retrieve one of your cut pastry pieces and lay it onto the flour covered baking paper    
      Evenly distribute one portion of sausage meat onto the pastry lengthways in the centre    
      Now fold the far side of the pastry up onto the mix and roll towards you, peeling off the plastic backing as you go    
      Now roll forward to meet the pastry closest to you making sure there is no mix on the pastry, between where the two sides meet    
      Now roll abck so the join is at the top. There should be up to one cm of overlap ie where the two sides of the pastry meet. (A little careful stretching might be required.)    
      Now push down gently on the join with the flat side of a fork "to mould" the pastry together     
      When completed, transfer the finished roll onto your clean baking paper with the join on the bottom    
      Repeat for the other three portions.    
    > Cooking    
 
      When finished, get the heated solid tray out from the oven and place somewhere flat and heat resistant. Careful transfer the baking paper with the four rolls on it onto the try. (Evening distribute across the tray to ensure there is a gap between each roll otherwise they will become co-joined while cooking.)    
      Put in the oven with fan on and set the timer for 30 minutes.    
      Keep and eye on the rolls because every oven is different.  You might consider turning the tray around after 15 minutes.    
      When the timer goes, look at the colour of the pastry.  If it is  still a pale colour, you should consider another 10 minutes but keep watching (less time if it just needs a little added colour).  This process might take a little time experimenting the first time you try this recipe.    
      These rolls are delicious straight out of the oven but cutting hot flaky pastry is not easy to do neatly.  Using a serrated knife (eg a bread knife) is a big help.  Otherwise it's best to cut when cold, still using a serrated knife.    
                Enjoy    
  © Copyright 2019 - The Suck-it and See Company