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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Sausage Rolls

Sausage rolls are a British classic: well-seasoned ground pork, rolled in puff pastry then cut into lengths and baked till golden brown.



Meeting my soon-to-be in-laws
We had been friends for more than two years, dating for a year and a half and were engaged for a few months when I finally had the opportunity to meet my husband’s father and stepmom, Alan and Fiona.  This was back in 1985 so I was still in school in Austin, Texas, they lived in Freeport on Grand Bahama and their son was working on a drilling rig somewhere offshore in Asia.  So, logistically, it just hadn’t happened.  The long weekend for US Thanksgiving was our first chance.

Simon and I flew out to Fort Lauderdale and they met us at the airport. The details are blurry now but we set off for Publix supermarket for a shopping run and before I knew it, we were stowing a turkey and all the fixings for a Thanksgiving feast in the back of the tiniest plane I’d ever flown in.

While Simon, Fiona and I loaded up, Alan walked around the Cessna 337, Super Skymaster, doing his preflight check. And then, suddenly, we were up in the air, high over the gorgeous deep blue Atlantic Ocean and on our way to the Bahamas.  Just as casually as I would have driven my car home to Mom’s.

I had never known anyone personally who could fly, not to mention own his own airplane!  I thought my father-in-law was a dashing gentleman and the weekend (and the years that followed) confirmed that first impression.

This one's from a flight simulator website but I hope to scan and upload one of the actual plane soon.
One more summer project that didn't get done. 

The English CAN cook
No less of a revelation was the good, simple, tasty cooking that was the hallmark of Fiona’s repertoire.  Don’t let folks tell you that the English can’t cook.  Her roast potatoes were crispy spuds of legend.  Her superlative gravy was a worthy beverage.  Both breakfast and lunch always included fresh, homemade whole wheat loaves that Fiona turned out with regular, delicious consistency, setting them first to proof on top of the hot water heater in their comfortable, homey apartment.  And her sausage rolls, nicknamed the Bishop’s sausage rolls because he requested them specially whenever he visited from Nassau, were a must at every party.

I made these a while back for the party where we celebrated the wonderful life of my other father-in-law, Simon’s stepdad. This isn’t Fiona’s recipe because I thought it was lost to me forever when she passed away in 2001, but it’s my closest approximation of how I remember them, except, perhaps Fiona made a short crust pastry.  My sister-in-law says she has the real recipe so someday soon, I might visit these again.  Meanwhile, since my sausage rolls use store-bought puff pastry, you can get these in and out of the oven in time to take them to a Labor Day party.  Or any party, especially if a bishop has been invited.  Or you have someone or something to celebrate.  They go spectacularly well with Champagne, wine or an ice cold beer.

Ingredients
1/2 medium onion
1/2 teaspoon Herbs of Provence
Olive oil
16 oz or 490g ground pork
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/2 cup or 25g fresh bread crumbs
1 package 16 oz or 490g puff pastry
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Mince your onion and sauté it in pan with the herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.   When the onion is soft and translucent, remove from heat and allow to cool.


Mix the pork with the bread crumbs and the cooled onions, salt and cayenne, if using, and set aside.  It’s messy but I’ve found the best way is first with a wooden spoon and then with your clean hands.



Whisk your eggs together with the milk in a small bowl and set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry into a very large rectangle until it is about 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thick.


Cut the rectangle evenly into three long pieces.


Lay a third of the meat mixture all along each of the strips of puff pastry lengthwise, making sure to go all the way to the very ends.  You don’t want the end bits to be short on sausage.


Brush the inside of the pastry with the egg/milk mixture.


Roll it up to enclose the filling.  Make sure to leave the seam side down.




Using a serrated knife and a slight sawing motion, cut the long tubes into short rolls.  Since I was serving them as finger food, I cut them pretty small to make 35 bite-sized sausage rolls.


Arrange them in a baking pan, allowing room for the puff pastry to puff and brush the tops with more of the egg wash.


Bake in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked and the pastry is lovely and golden.


Remove to paper towels to allow any grease to be absorbed and then serve hot.  Or, frankly, room temperature.  I’d eat these either way.


Enjoy!












This week Sunday Supper is celebrating Labor Day in the United States by preparing weekend party foods for picnics and tailgating and just hanging out with friends and family. Have a look at all the delicious drinks and dishes we’ve prepared for you, along with our host, DB of Crazy Foodie Stunts.

Refreshing Drinks



Amazing Appetizers and Sides



Enviously Good Entreés


Delicious Desserts

52 comments :

  1. Thanks for participating this week! I hope you get the original recipe soon but these sound good too!

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  2. I d enjoy roaming about with a small plane like that casually. =) Those must have been fun years! Oh the sausage rolls are awesome Stacy, a snack we would enjoy completely. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

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  3. Love the story behind this recipe...what a treasured dish. They look irresistible...and hope you'll share the other recipe, too (but I think the shortcut with puff pastry is perfect!).

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  4. I think recipes that come from family are the best! They bring their memories with them every time you make them :)

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  5. These sound amazing, but now I'm craving a proper English roast with crispy potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.

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  6. I love that you made your own sausage for these, it looks amazing

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  7. So many great memories Stacy! My dad's a pilot so I've flown those tiny things a million times. Making your own filling makes these sausage rolls so amazing!

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  8. Move over sausage balls, sausage rolls are taking your place the next time I'm entertaining. I see these being a BIG hit with the guys (and gals like me too). Bookmarked and saved.

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  9. Beautiful sausage rolls - and what a cool father-in-law!

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  10. Those would never make it to a party at my house. MPE would eat every single one! Of course, as an Okie I would be dipping them in homemade Ranch Dressing! :)

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  11. Miss Stacy does indeed lead a glamorous life bejeweled with gorgeous scenes and gourmet meals =) In addition to the beautiful recipe for sausage rolls, your in-laws appear to have gifted your life in many wonderful ways...Do keep us posted if the original recipe pops up!

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  12. So easy and elegant! And I am a big fan of store-bough puff pastry! I'm definitely trying this for my next shindig! Thank you for sharing!

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  13. These sound so wonderful, and I love the story that goes with it. I'm definitely pinning these to my Tailgating Pinterest Board!

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  14. The English can't cook??! I won't take offence. Too much.
    You can't beat a good sausage roll - it's one of the first things I go and scoff on touchdown.

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  15. Hey, now, Nancy! I defended your honor. I've had some of my finest meals at English tables! And, no, you just can't beat a good sausage roll!

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  16. I love the idea of hitting the grocery store and then hopping into a plane - I guess you were just getting a taste of an exciting life to come, weren't you? These remind me a little of the sausage biscuits my mother in law used to make for breakfast whenever we came to her house for weekends/holidays and had an early departure. She would get up at an ungodly hour to make the biscuit dough in order to have them coming out the oven just as we were leaving. Coming as they did from a person who expresses love through fabulous food, it was like getting an extra hug from her as we headed out of town. I have to say, though, as a party food, these look about a million times better than the sausage/Bisquick recipe that I have whipped up for parties more times than I care to say...in my defense, though: they ate them! ; )

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  17. Thanks for hosting, DB! I've written my sister-in-law and I am sure she will send me the recipe soon.

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  18. They were a lot of fun, Helene. My in-laws traveled all around the States and even Canada in that little plane. And it was always a joy to visit them in Freeport. We got quite attached to the Bahamas.

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  19. Thank you, Liz. They are pretty tasty. Perhaps when I get the real recipe from my sister-in-law, we'll do a side-by-side taste comparison. :)

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  20. That is so true, Conni. I reminisced as I made these and wished both Alan and Fiona could have been there to try them. Sadly, we lost them both in 2001, just a month apart.

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  21. At our house, we are always craving THAT, Lauren! The other day my husband grilled some lamb chops but we still had roast potatoes as our side dish. And the week before that I did a proper roast dinner with potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. Of course, both were served with peas.

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  22. Thank you, Sarah. They were delicious.

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  23. Ooooh, then you have led the privileged life too, Paula! it was such fun! Thank you for your kind words.

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  24. Pretty much everyone likes a sausage roll, Renee. And you can flavor your meat with whichever herbs and seasonings you prefer. Let me know what you think when you get a chance to try them.

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  25. I know, right?! They were both lovely, funny, hospitable people who never met a stranger. I was blessed to know them and be accepted into the family.

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  26. You can dip them in whatever your little Okie heart desires, Kelli! I'm glad I've hit on something MPE would like!

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  27. Well, I don't know how glamorous commercial flights in the back of the plane are, but I do get around, Kim. :) I've written my sister-in-law for the recipe so I am sure she will send it soon.

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  28. I always have puff pastry in the freezer, Amy. It's so handy and versatile. Please let me know how they go over when you make them. Everyone loves sausage rolls!

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  29. Thank you for your kind words, Courtney. And thank you so much for pinning!

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  30. It was just the wildest thing, Carolyne! And they were so kind to even plan the turkey dinner because they didn't normally celebrate Thanksgiving. They were the most generous people!


    My grandmothers were both like your mother-in-law. You could not leave their houses without taking food with you AND eating something before you left. It's a Louisiana thing, I'm sure.


    As for your sausage/Bisquick recipe, anything that involves sausage is a winner in my book so I have no doubt I'd eat those too.

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  31. These look like great party appetizers since they are bite sized, yum!

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  32. Loved your sweet story and I'm the biggest sausage roll fan out there!!Reminds me of the days spent in England when I used to gorge on them hot from the oven at every given opportunity :) Your rolls look so so good,I'm going to try making these too!

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  33. I used to live in Miami and nearly every weekend, my culinary school friend's boyfriend would fly us (and by us, I mean she, 2 other friends and he) to Freeport so we could play and swim and enjoy ourselves. It was the the time of my life. And that plane in 2005, was just as tiny as your FILs Cessna LOL

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  34. I love this post Stacy. Thanks for sharing such a sweet story. It took me a long time to try my mother-in-law's cooking too. My husband Aaron used to tell me stories about his parents' cooking meat until it turned 'grey' (haha) so it was a nice surprise when his mother's Christmas offering (roast beef and trifle) turned out to be quite nice. I love your version of Fiona's recipe. They sound like beautifully seasoned party fare! xx

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  35. My brother's a huge fan of sausage rolls. I 'll have to make this for him.

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  36. I love to just nibble at picnics. These are perfect!

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  37. I miss the Bahamas! And I'm not sure if you saw on Facebook or Instagram, maybe even Twitter, but I rode in a TINY plane from PA to DC airport and back when I went to Florida. Tiny! Love how Fiona lives on with these sausage rolls.

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  38. I did see that, Carla! Those little planes are both scary and exhilarating. When I saw your post, I did think of this trip and a couple of others like it.

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  39. Thanks, Cindy. They would be great picnic food!

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  40. I haven't met anyone yet who doesn't love a sausage roll. Hope your brother likes these.

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  41. Sounds like a fabulous time and great friends to keep! We have put off going back to Freeport since my in-laws passed away because it just wouldn't be the same but I've been thinking lately that maybe it's time.

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  42. Hope you enjoy them, Soni! Nothing beats a hot sausage roll!

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  43. It's always a relief when one can say genuinely to the cook, "What a lovely meal!" and not have to lie. :) Especially when it's your mother-in-law you don't want to offend. Thank you for your kind words, Laura!

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  44. I am SO making these for my next party--I'll bet the whole platter will disappear in seconds!

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  45. These are the perfect little rolls to snack on. My boys would have devoured them. They look SO good!

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