Walnut, apple and sage 'sausage' rolls

After quietly subbing my pork, apple and fennel sausage rolls for vegan ones, the requests to take them to just about every social event keep coming.

Credit: Savannah van der Niet

• serves

  15-20

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 sheets vegan puff pastry
• 3 tbsp nut milk of choice (or 1 egg, beaten)
• fennel seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
• tomato sauce or chutney, to serve

‘Sausage’ Mince

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 85 g (3 oz/⅔ cup) walnuts, finely chopped
• 10 sage leaves, finely sliced
• 1 apple, grated
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 90 g (3 oz/1 cup) dried TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 375 ml (12½ fl oz/1½ cups) vegetable stock
• 100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)

Cooling time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. To prepare the ‘sausage’ mince, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until browned and translucent. Add the garlic, walnuts and sage, along with a little salt and some cracked pepper. Cook for a further few minutes. Stir in the apple, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, paprika, thyme and nutritional yeast and turn the heat up to medium. Cook for a few minutes, until searing hot.
2. Add the TVP and stock and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes, to give the TVP a chance to soak up the liquid.
3. Turn the heat off and add the breadcrumbs, and parsley if using. Stir well to combine. Taste the mixture and add seasoning to taste. Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
5. Cut each sheet of pastry in half to make two rectangles. Place one-sixth of the filling mixture in the centre of each piece of pastry, shaping it into a long sausage lengthways down the pastry sheet. Firmly fold over the pastry sheet, and in one swift movement, roll it into a tight long roll, so the edge is on the bottom.
6. Repeat with all the remaining pastry and filling.
7. Cut each roll into five equal pieces (or into two for larger rolls). Lay them on the baking tray with a little space between each one. Brush a little nut milk onto each roll and sprinkle with fennel seeds, if desired.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and puffy. Serve warm, with tomato sauce or chutney.

 

Recipe and images from The Shared Table by Clare Scrine, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.