Sunshine, glorious sunshine. It lifts our spirits and makes everyday seem that little bit brighter – literally. Windows flung open, coats discarded, sunglasses at the ready. Who wants to eat lunch, or any meal for that matter, indoors? Not me! Even if my ‘picnic’ is sitting out in the garden with a cool glass of something refreshing and a plate of these jalapeño fired Spicy Sausage Rolls.
For those of you with a more gentle constitution, don’t worry these Spicy Sausage Rolls do not ‘blow your head off!’ Instead they have a gentle warming, fruity heat that lifts an otherwise everyday sausage roll to a whole different level.
The inclusion of some paprika filled chorizo sausage, further elevates the incredible flavour of these picnic favourites. Delicious good quality sausage meat, mixed with finely chopped jalapeño chilli and just the right amount of chorizo, encased in flaky, all butter puff pastry, makes for the perfect addition to any packed lunch, picnic or easy meal.
If you like sausage rolls, you will absolutely love these Spicy Sausage Rolls!
Using The Freezer To Keep Grocery Costs Down
Puff pastry is such an incredibly handy product to have stashed away in the freezer. All butter is my preferred type, especially for sweet bakes such as my Blackberry Nectarine Tart , however, I do sometimes use the mixed vegetable fat/butter for savoury bakes, especially if it is on offer!
Having chatted to a few of my Twitter friends recently, we all concluded that the cost of groceries seems to have suddenly risen. For me, this means creating recipes that stretch more expensive ingredients that little bit further and also really trying hard to keep food waste to an absolute minimum.
As I spend a lot of time testing recipes and batch baking/cooking in the kitchen, the opportunity for waste can become even greater. Especially if after a few days cooking and baking I then spend the next few days in bed due to my health problems see here.
This is where the freezer becomes my best friend! Having made the Spicy Sausage Rolls on a day where I had also cooked dinner, they were in danger of getting forgotten about, boxed up in the back of the fridge. Of course we shared a couple between us to taste test them and we were not disappointed. After the photos were taken the following day, I popped the remaining sausage rolls in the freezer – keeping a couple out for our daughter and I to share for lunch.
I have no doubt that they will not stay in the freezer long, yet it saves potential waste. Which is primarily, not only good for our planet, but also our grocery budget!
Recipe: Makes 12 Spicy Sausage Rolls
350g/12oz Block of Puff Pastry all butter if possible- defrosted in the fridge overnight if frozen – I used frozen Just Rol all butter puff pastry, alternatively use my fantastic Perfect Butter Shortcrust Pastry recipe.
454g/1lb Pork Sausagemeat – good quality at least 85% Pork, any casings removed
50g/2oz Chorizo Sausage – casing removed
1 Jalapeño Chilli Pepper
1 Medium Free Range Egg – I use Burford Browns Eggs from Clarence Court
Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, gas mark 6, 400F.
Making The Spicy Sausagemeat
- Place the sausage meat into a bowl and add the chorizo sausage pulled into pieces.
- Remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeño chilli pepper and chop finely.
- Add the chopped chilli to the bowl and squish (mix) everything together using clean hands.
Creating The Sausage Rolls
- Roll out the puff pastry on a clean, flour dusted work top, until it is 30cm x 20cm (15″ wide by 8″ deep).
- Trim the edges of the pastry and then divide the pastry in half width ways so that you have 2 long strips.
- Divide the sausage meat mixture in two.
- Evenly lay the sausage meat down the middle of each length of pastry.
- Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork.
- Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg down the length of the pastry, either side of the sausage meat.
- Bring the top edge of the pastry evenly over the sausage meat and continue rolling so that the pastry overlaps (and seals) underneath the sausage rolls.
- Using a sharp knife, cut each long roll in half and then cut each half into 3 even sized sausage rolls. In total you will have 12 medium sized sausage rolls.
- Place the sausage rolls on to a lightly oiled baking tray.
- Brush each sausage roll with the beaten egg – this will give the pastry a wonderful, crisp, golden finish once baked.
- Finally using a sharp, pointed pair of scissors, snip the top of each sausage roll twice – as can be seen in the picture below.
Baking The Spicy Sausage Rolls
- Place the baking tray into the middle/top part of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- The Spicy Sausage Rolls are cooked when the pastry is flaky and golden brown all over. If in doubt cut a sausage roll in half, the meat should be cooked all the way through.
- Once baked remove the sausage rolls from the oven.
- Transfer the baked sausage rolls to a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before trying!
Perfect eaten hot or cold, with a good chutney, some cherry tomatoes and a glass of something refreshing.
To store, allow to cool completely and then pack into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, as I did, pack into a freezer bag or box, label and keep in the freezer for one month. Defrost thoroughly and reheat until piping hot in a moderate oven.
Serving The Sausage Rolls
If fresh puff pastry has been used, not frozen, these Spicy Sausage Rolls can also be frozen uncooked. Place some baking parchment on a baking tray, put the sausage rolls on top and then place into the freezer and freeze until solid. Once frozen pack into freezer boxes, separating each layer with baking parchment. To cook, remove as many sausage rolls as required, place onto an oiled baking tray and bake in a preheated oven as before. The sausage rolls will take approximately 45 minutes to bake from frozen. This can be particularly handy over the Christmas holiday period.
Sorry to mention Christmas, however, in our house a buffet is incomplete without a plate of hot sausage rolls. This year we can really turn the heat up!
Obviously you can control how spicy you make these, as well as the size. I would perhaps make them a little smaller for a buffet spread.
If you have loved these Spicy Sausage Rolls as much as we have you may also enjoy these other recipes:
Tomato Thyme Garlic Focaccia Bread
If you think about it, a buffet is really an indoor picnic!
Who doesn’t love unloading a picnic hamper or walking around a buffet table tasting little morsels of yummy different foods. We have a daughter who would happily eat from a buffet table/picnic hamper most days of the year.
The sun is blazing as I write up this post. Whether you make and bake during the sunshine or snow, have fun feasting with friends, family and neighbours.
Sammie xx
