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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