Warm and flaky sausage rolls: A childhood favorite reimagined – The Denver Post

Warm and flaky sausage rolls: A childhood favorite reimagined – The Denver Post

10/22/2020

By Melissa Clark, The New York Times

Warm and flaky sausage rolls, stuffed with savory meat and striped with ketchup, may not have been school cafeteria fare in Brooklyn while I was growing up. But they were in Australia for Paul Allam, where, as a kid, he used to long for one to appear at his primary school lunch table, tucked into a crumpled brown paper bag, steaming and a little soggy in the best possible way.

Now, as a professional baker and an owner of Bourke Street Bakery, Allam’s goal has been to tweak the humble sausage roll into something reflecting his adult sensibilities, using better ingredients and more sophisticated flavor combinations. At the Manhattan outpost of his Sydney-based bakery group, he offers a heady fennel-scented pork roll, a mellow turkey-cranberry roll and a rotating selection of vegetable rolls, filled with the likes of eggplant with chiles or spinach with feta.

But it was the harissa-tinged lamb version, laced with a smattering of currants and almonds, that I fell head over heels for. So much so that when I put subway rides on a pandemic-temporary hold, I called Allam for the recipe.

He was happy to oblige — with the caveat that his sausage rolls were a bit of a departure from the ones found in school cafeterias, not to mention in petrol stations throughout Australia.

“The traditional sausage rolls you got at school were made from cartilage and the stuff they swept up from the floor,” he told me, possibly joking. “If you went to a bourgeois school maybe you got celery. It didn’t matter. It still tasted great.

“Food memories from childhood are very strong. They stay with you,” he added.

I understood perfectly, I told him, remembering my beloved elementary school egg salad sandwiches … and, you know, Proust’s madeleines.

Before we even hung up the phone, my inbox pinged. Allam had sent the lamb roll recipe, along with another for the pork fennel rolls, which, he noted, ran neck and neck in popularity with the lamb version. Maybe I’d want to try them both?

Being fairly new to the world of sausage rolls, I was happy to explore. In the end I still like the lamb, with its mix of heat and sweetness, best. But the brawny pork rolls were also delicious, infused with anise-flavored fennel, garlic and thyme.

Although Allam said I could use flaky pie dough if I wanted, puff pastry is the classic sausage roll crust. Naturally, Allam makes his own with loads of good butter. And he is also working on a vegan version using plant-based butter.

I substituted a good all-butter brand of frozen puff pastry, and the rolls baked up beautifully bronzed and airy. But feel free to use your favorite pie dough recipe here instead. Or, if you’re in the mood for a challenge, homemade puff pastry would be the sausage roll pinnacle.

As for the filling, you could also substitute other ground meats like turkey or chicken for the lamb or the pork.

Not wanting to stop with just meat, I experimented with several vegetarian versions, too. My favorite combined sautéed mushrooms and leeks with chewy farro to thicken the mix and almond butter to make it creamy. Even better, you can turn this vegan by using pastry made with plant-based butter (Pepperidge Farm makes a widely available one).

Although Allam swears that ketchup (called tomato sauce in Australia) is the ideal accompaniment for sausage rolls, I didn’t use it on any of them. Childhood food memories can only get you so far.

Recipe: Vegan Mushroom and Leek Rolls

Yield: 4 rolls

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1/4 cup farro
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1 1/4 pounds mixed mushrooms, diced (about 8 cups)
  • 2 large leeks, white and light green parts, cut lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup diced fennel
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or dill
  • 1 (13- to 17-ounce) package frozen vegan puff pastry, thawed but still cold

Directions

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil, then add farro. Cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain well and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the vinegar while still warm, tossing to combine. Let the farro cool.

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees and line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. While the farro cooks, prepare the filling: In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until just tender and golden brown, stirring infrequently so the mushrooms have a chance to sear, 8 to 12 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, leeks and fennel. Cook until leeks and fennel soften, 8 to 12 minutes. Add thyme, garlic, tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch of red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook for another minute or until fragrant.

4. Add soy sauce to deglaze pan, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Transfer mushroom mixture to large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

5. Add cooled farro, almond butter and herbs to mushrooms, and mix well.

6. Place the puff pastry dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut pastry into 4 equal rectangles. In the center of each pastry, dollop a quarter of the mushroom mixture, forming it into a long “sausage” running lengthwise on the pastry strip.

7. Lightly brush one long edge of the pastry with water (to help seal the dough). Starting with the unbrushed sides of the pastry, firmly fold the pastry over the filling to make long rolls, pinching dough to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet, seam-sides down.

8. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipe: Lamb, Harissa and Almond Sausage Rolls

Yield: 4 sausage rolls

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup whole blanched almonds
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow, red or white onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup diced roasted red peppers (from a jar, or roasted over the flames of a gas stove)
  • 1 tablespoon harissa paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound ground lamb (or beef, dark meat turkey or plant-based meat)
  • 1/4 cup uncooked couscous
  • 1/3 cup currants
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold
  • 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
  • Poppy seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place almonds on baking sheet and roast until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Pour almonds onto a cutting board to cool slightly. (Reserve baking sheet and parchment.) Coarsely chop almonds and place in large mixing bowl. Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.

3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add roasted red peppers, harissa and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to the bowl with the almonds and let cool.

4. Add ground lamb, couscous, currants, pepper and the remaining salt to almonds. Using your hands, mix thoroughly until well combined.

5. Roll the chilled puff pastry dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut pastry into 4 equal rectangles. In the center of each pastry, dollop a quarter of the lamb mixture, then form it into a long sausage running lengthwise on the pastry strip. Lightly brush one long edge of the pastry with egg wash. Starting with the side without the egg wash, firmly fold the pastry over the meat filling to form long rolls, pinching to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet, seam-sides down.

6. Lightly brush the top of each roll with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds, if using. Bake until sausage rolls are golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe: Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls

Yield: 4 sausage rolls

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, plus more for finishing
  • 3 thyme sprigs, leaves separated chopped
  • 1 small red, yellow or white onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 pound lean ground pork (or chicken, turkey, or plant-based meat)
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold
  • 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and chopped thyme, and cook for another minute or until fragrant.

3. Add onion and celery and cook until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and a large pinch of salt and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

4. Once vegetables have cooled, add ground pork, breadcrumbs, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix thoroughly until well combined.

5. Roll the chilled puff pastry dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut pastry into four equal rectangles. In the center of each pastry, dollop a quarter of the pork mixture, then form it into a long sausage running lengthwise on the pastry strip. Lightly brush one long edge of the pastry with egg wash. Starting with the side without the egg wash, firmly fold the pastry over the meat filling to form long rolls, pinching to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet, seam-sides down.

6. Lightly brush the top of each roll with egg wash and sprinkle with fennel seeds. Bake until sausage rolls are golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

And to Drink …

Sausage rolls are classic pub fare. Whether pork sausage, lamb or a vegan version, they will go beautifully with that other pub favorite, ale or lager. But the umami flavors in these rolls also have a particular affinity for dry sparkling wines. Champagne would be great with any of these. So would myriad other sparkling wines, whether crémants of France, cavas of Spain, sekts of Germany, American sparklers or, yes, English fizz. Fino sherry would be another superb option. It, too, uncannily complements umami flavors. Plenty of red wines will go well, whether Beaujolais, pinot noir, syrah. I might try an easygoing nebbiolo wine with the vegan roll, and maybe a restrained zinfandel with the lamb roll. With the pork roll, I’d open a dry riesling. Or maybe I’d just stick to bubbles all around. — Eric Asimov

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