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Pork, Caramelised Apple and Fennel Sausage Roll

Makes about two dozen (very large) sausage rolls. This should last you a couple of days, depending on your self-control.

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon fennel or carraway seeds (to mix in with the meat)

1 tablespoon fennel or carraway seeds (to sprinkle on the finished rolls)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 medium brown onions OR two large brown and 1 large red onion (adds a bit of colour and sweetness)

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I used 4 teaspoons of pre-chopped garlic as it's easier)

20 g sage (about 8-10 sprigs) }

20 g rosemary (about 3-5 sprigs) } For the herbs, I used one pack of fresh-cut herbs from Tesco.

20 g thyme (about 5-8 sprigs) } If using dried then I think it's about 2-3 tablespoons of each.

35 g unsalted butter

2-4 granny smith apples (depending on size ... 2 large or 4 small)

2 tablespoon caster sugar (or similar fine-grain sugar)

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 tablespoon sherry (or red wine) vinegar

1.0 to 1.2 kg pork mince (use 10-15% fat mince. Low fat will make things drier and less succulent)

65 g breadcrumbs

12 g table salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

850 g of all-butter puff pastry (I used 2x boxes of Tesco "large size" puff pastry)

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Method

Separate all the herbs' leaves from the stems. Chop the leaves finely and combine them in a large bowl.

Peel and finely chop (0.5 - 1.0 cm cubes) the apples and then the onions; keep them separate.

Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium/high heat.
Add the apples and toss gently in the butter for a few minutes, then add the sugar and the honey.
Add a dash of cinnamon, if you feel like it.
Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is lightly caramelised around the apples.
Add the vinegar to deglaze the pan and set aside.

Toast the fennel seeds in a large, dry frying pan over a low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stop if they begin popping.
Crush lightly in a mortar and pestle and set aside.

Using the same pan, heat the olive oil over a low heat.
Sweat off the onions and garlic for 8-10 minutes until lightly caramelised, to give a bit of sweetness. Remove from the heat.
Add the toasted fennel seeds, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Stir them in well and set aside to cool.

Before you proceed from here, the cooked items (onions/herbs and the apples) should be relatively cool ... you'll be hand mixing everything soon so you don't want things hot-off-the-stove!

Combine the pork mince, breadcrumbs, salt and stewed apples in a large mixing bowl.
Add the onion and garlic mixture and mix it through with your hands for 3 to 5 minutes. Ensure all the elements are evenly mixed through.

Cut the rolled-up pastry in half. Unroll each half on the bench, with the long axis of the pastry sheet running left-to-right along the bench.

- With two packs of pastry, you should have four very long sheets on the bench.

Divide the sausage mix evenly between the four sheets. Form a line of filling running from left to right a third of the way up each sheet.

- If you have a large-bore icing bag then you can use this to make it easier, otherwise just form the long meaty line with your hands from blobs of sausage mix.

Brush the beaten egg along the edge of the pastry, on the side furthest from the meat line.
Roll the pastry towards you, over the meat line and over the egg-brushed edge.

- It's easier if you start from one end and do a bit of rolling down there, then move down a bit and roll, etc. along the length of the pastry. Then go back to the start, roll it a bit more and so on, i.e. gradually form the sausage roll in a wave from one end to the other instead of trying to roll the entire length in one go.

- Keep the seam underneath and the weight of the meat above will keep it sealed.

Brush more beaten egg along the top and sides, then sprinkle the top with fennel/caraway seeds.
Chop the sausage roll into sections (I cut each length in half and then into three, i.e. six portions per strip and each portion is around 10 cm long).
Score the top with a knife, diagonally or poke the top with a fork to let steam vent.
Lay the sausage rolls on a tray lined with baking paper and rest them in the fridge for half an hour.

During the fridge rest, preheat the oven to 180°C.

Bake the sausage rolls (straight from cold) for 10 minutes at 180°C, then reduce the heat to 160°C and bake for a further 30-50 minutes until the pastry is golden.

Allow the sausage rolls to rest for 10 minutes before eating. They can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. The sausage rolls do not freeze well because of the pastry but the meat mix can be readily frozen, e.g. in case you aren't ready to commit to creating a ton of sausage rolls at once.

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