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I have a confession to make…yes
viewers I am nothing more than a low down culinary cheat, ooh I just said it
and what’s more it is true. I would like to tell you that I am a graduate of
the Francoise school of esteemed pastry makers but alas I am not and guess
what? I don’t care, really don’t care and do you know why? Pampas Butter Puff
pastry… teehee.
I am mum on the run with two growing boys
that are eating me out of house and home. One is a rower who with the size of
his appetite you would think was training to make it all the way to Antarctica
and back. The other plays basketball and is yet to catch his brother in the appetite
stakes but time will no doubt skyrocket his into the food stratosphere as
well. I pride myself on my culinary
shortcuts viewers. Seriously who has time to make puff pastry or butter puff
pastry for that matter? If you do and have passed your certificate with honours
and have it framed and hanging on your wall, then congratulations you win a
free set of steak knives!
However, I will let you on in a little
secret, the cold pressed culinary truth is, that no-one really is going to be
able to detect the difference. And no-one needs to hear about your advanced
pastry making techniques or where you sourced your grassfed butter or the fact
that your kids only ever eat organic. OK smack me with the wooden spoon now
food police. But one more culinary truth is, that sometimes we just have to
make do with what we have. And sometimes we have to…dare I say it? Use
something already pre-made and out of the packet, (Please forgive me Julia
Child’s queen of French cookery knowledge) but that’s just the way it is. And
sometimes it is better than good when someone hands over their secret recipe
because they have no plans to be the next contestant on Master Chef. And
sometimes it just so happens to be handy to have a little sista who is a chef (and
yes she is one of those grassfed beef organic kind of gals) but I forgive her
and you will too because today culinary fortune has shined down upon us all.
The recipe for today that you will be very
pleased to include in your culinary catalogue is…Aunty Lindi’s chicken and
veggie sausage rolls. Entertaining or kids lunch boxes? Either way they are an
absolute winner which I can attest to and our children will as well. And to add
one more to the bragging rights and the integrity of this recipe, recently
these were made and taken to a fiftieth birthday celebration. They disappeared
in record time and the hostess’s actual quote was, “these are on par with my
grandmas.” Can you believe that? What an endorsement and how much more
verification do you really need? So get yourselves ready viewers and follow
this recipe to a T and you too can become the new sausage roll making
championess…food processor ready? On your mark, aprons on and let’s go!
Aunty Lindi’s chicken and veggie sausage
rolls…
You will need if you have in your
kitchen arsenal, one food processor, (if not you are gonna have to grate by
hand) plus a variety of other utensils which I am sure live in your cupboards.
Ingredients
500gms of chicken mince
1 large carrot
1 medium brown onion
1 cob of sweetcorn (steam and put
aside)
1 medium zucchini
¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan
cheese
¼ cup of fresh parsley
1 tspn of fresh thyme
1 tspn of fresh marjoram
4 tbspns of fresh chopped chives
2 tspns of sea salt
A few twists of freshly ground
black pepper
½ cup of fresh sourdough
breadcrumbs
4 sheets of Pampas butter puff
pastry
1 lightly beaten free range egg
for egg wash
Chia seeds or sesame for garnish
Method
Roughly chop onion, carrot and
zucchini. Put into food processor with parsley, thyme, marjoram, chives and
blitz until finely combined. Strip corn kernels from cob. Add blitzed veggies
and corn to chicken mince with salt, pepper, parmesan and breadcrumbs. Mix
thoroughly. Set aside. (And if you are thinking why there is no egg to bind the
mince, believe me you do not need it, repeat you do not need it, so don’t sneak
one in, teehee)
Separate butter puff pastry but
ensure you leave the blue plastic on and that plastic is face down. Cut each
into halves. The mixture now should be divided into eight and trust yourselves
viewers you can do a Jamie Oliver and use your powers of estimation. Place
chicken and veggie mix down the middle of each half. Brush egg wash along each
edge and using plastic roll over until closed. Repeat until you have made eight
rolls. Using a sharp knife, make 5 slits on the top (to let the steam escape)
so that each roll will be dived into 6 bite size pieces. Place baking paper on
tray and spread rolls out so they have enough room to cook. Brush tops with egg
wash and sprinkle with chia seeds ( if you want to add a superfood , teehee, or
sesame seeds) Bake in a conventional oven at 220 C or 200 C for fan forced for
25 mins. Cool on rack. Each roll can be divided into six which will provide you
with 48 mini rolls or cut into halves for 16 larger ones which are a winner in
the kid’s lunchboxes. Voila there you have it! But wait there is more…to add a
fancy twist for entertaining and a few extra calories whisk some sour cream
with finely chopped chives and lemon zest to taste for a dipping sauce, if not
just enjoy and forget about working out on the treadmill.
So for us these made it into the boy’s
lunchboxes and my nieces to boot. The chicken mince makes for a change to the
traditional sausage mix. The butter puff pastry encases this delicious mixture
and boosts these into first place. I have followed and made this recipe under
my little sista’s guidance and can tell you now viewers it has made it into my
handwritten recipe book. I would have wowed you with one of my own secret
recipes but that would have involved a ton of sugar and for now I have jumped off
the sugar bandwagon, temporarily of course because sooner or later chocolate
will be calling my name and I will be unable to resist. Just as you will be
unable to resist these once you begin sampling them. So spread the word, the
secret is out. Be culinary smart and save yourself a lot of time. I may not be
a graduate of the Francoise school of esteemed pastry makers viewers but for
that I am sure I will be forgiven. Bon appetite to you all anyway.
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