Persian-spiced Sausage Rolls

with barberries and pistachios

One day I will write another sausage roll recipe, but this one has been going ELEVEN years strong now and I know a lot of people who love it and make them every year. They’re deeply savoury but there is a hint of sweetness in the cinnamon and jammy red onions. The barberries are sweet too, but mostly tart, and I love their contrast to the fatty pork. You can of course use chopped up dried cranberries here, and although I don’t usually like sour types at my party, I invite Sumac here for just that reason. Pistachios and pork are a perfect pairing, and the cumin brings a little earthiness to round everything off. I make them every year as my family love them and they were my Dad’s favourite.

I have, however, played around a bit with the recipe today (gasp!)

The recipe is from my party food book Party Perfect Bites, which I don’t think I’ve mentioned on here before, but it’s a great book full of entertaining ideas and I really should talk about it more, or at least share my favourite recipes.

The adjustments I’ve been making over the past week haven’t been to the core ingredients, but to the pastry and a couple of small additions. There’s absolutely no need to change the original recipe if you already love it, a lot of this comes down to the meat you’re using.

My personal preference is sausage meat from my butcher, sold in those big tubes. It’s far easier than squeezing sausages from their casings, especially when I’m making a large batch. I also prefer the coarser grind and overall quality of the meat, with all that flavoursome, juicy fat, something I don’t always get from supermarket sausages.

That said, shop-bought sausages absolutely have their place here too. While they tend to have a lower meat percentage, they’re usually higher in fatty bits which are more finely minced and worked into the meat. Fat equals tenderness. They also contain more rusk, which absorbs moisture and keeps the filling light rather than dense. I suspect the salt in pre-made sausages also plays a role, altering the meat proteins so they bind better and stay moist instead of tightening up.

So, anyway - I started experimenting. Yesterday I played around with adding breadcrumbs and egg to better mimic that smoother, pre-made sausage texture, and I really liked the result. The filling stayed tender for longer.

Do you notice much difference if you bake and serve them straight away? Yes, but not hugely. But if there’s a gap between baking and eating, it starts to really matter. Use whichever recipe suits the meat you’re working with - or how long your sausage rolls need to sit before they’re eaten. Please note if you use shop bought sausages you don’t need to use breadcrumbs or egg in the recipe below.

Nicola’s rough puff encasing the Persian spiced sausage filling, on Kitchen Projects+

One more thing! The pastry. Last year Nicola Lamb made these with her homemade rough puff pastry (pg 128 of SIFT) and they were a thing of beauty. Actual heaven!! I however, don’t have the patience and I use a premium puff pastry called Dorset Pastry. It is the best I can buy. If you are going to buy a supermarket pastry, PLEASE let it be ALL BUTTER. It makes the world of difference. This year there can be a shortage of the good stuff which made me think yesterday, I wonder if you can add a layer of your favourite butter? I made a paste from 2 tsp flour + 2 tsp butter and I spread it very thinly onto the pastry before laying another sheet of pastry on top. I gave it the lightest of rolls with the rolling pin to stick the two sheets together, and it resulted in a more delicious buttery bite and a more puffed, layered pastry. I think my oven was on a little too high and the outer layers crisped up beautifully but there was the pastry in closest contact to the pastry was left a little underbaked. But you know what? I loved it! It was like the pastry in a suet pie that gets a little steamy but takes on all the flavour. In fact I will slice one up and take a picture of the cross section, so you can see what I mean. These are cold from yesterday and still so delicious!

Day old sausage rolls, sliced.

I then made one giant roll and doubled the pastry (you might have seen on instagram stories). If that is how you like to make yours, I wouldn’t recommend doubling up as I don’t think you can bake the pastry enough by the time the sausage meat overcooks when it is in one giant log. Stick to single here, or homemade. Another thing to consider is the cost. Pastry is expensive and why pay twice when you can pay once? Have I confused you enough? I think what I’m trying to say is, do what works for you. The recipe below calls for one sheet of pastry, but you can double that and make the paste.

SAUSAGE ROLL TIPS

1. Since sharing tips online, the biggest piece of feedback I’ve had is that freezing the rolls as a log, before cutting has been a total game-changer for so many people, which makes me very happy. You don’t need to fully freeze them either, 30 minutes will do. It just ensures that you get a really neat slice and the pastry doesn’t squash.

2. Egg wash. If you want the deepest colour and shine, just use a yolk.

3. When to egg wash? Egg wash on the whole log, not once you’ve cut them already. There are two reasons for this. When egg wash drips down the side of the pastry it will stop the layers from puffing. If you egg wash before freezing or when it comes out the freezer, it’ll set in seconds on the frozen pastry and not run.

4. When forking the seam, dip the fork in flour so nothing sticks.

5. Seasoning. I cannot tell you how much salt to put in your sausage mix because they will vary. Once mixed in the bowl, break a small amount off and form a patty. Fry it and test for seasoning to make sure it is perfect. You can adjust the spices here too.

Ingredients

Makes 20-25 bitesize (easy to double the recipe if you want more, or bigger rolls)

1 Pack of ready rolled all butter puff pastry (or double up as discussed above)

2 egg yolks, beaten

Sausage mix

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, finely diced

400g-500g sausage-meat

45g v roughly chopped pistachios, keep some whole

25g barberries (or chopped dried cranberries/sour cherries)

1/2 tsp sumac

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 small whole egg

30g fresh breadcrumbs

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and sauté until caramelised. Cool and mix well with all of the other sausage-mix ingredients. I like to get my hands in and really squish it all together so the egg and breadcrumbs are thoroughly mixed in and doing their job. (Test for salt/seasoning, see tips above)

2. If you are using a piping bag, cut a teeny tiny hole in the tip to let air escape and allow the mix to push in without air getting trapped. Then cut the tip so that the opening measures 1.5 inches across, when flat.

3. Lay the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut it crossways into 3 strips.

4. Press a line of sausage-meat down the middle of each strip of pastry, leaving 1cm gap at the ends.

5. Brush the length of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg yolk on one side and roll the other side over the sausage to secure it in place. Pinch the ends of each roll together. Then fork the seam, so it is sealed.

6. Transfer the rolls to a prepared baking sheet, or small tray lined with a bit of parchment. Brush with egg yolk and pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Or freeze for longer, until needed)

7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) Gas 5.

8. Take the sausage rolls out of the freezer and let come to temperature enough to cut each roll into 8 pieces. Spread the rolls out on a lined baking sheet and bake on the middle shelf for at least 20 minutes, or until deeply golden. Take out and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.

I filmed myself making these, so will edit that video and pop on instagram tomorrow.

You’ll find it here x