Recipe Advent Calendar - Day 15 - Sausage Rolls

At the request of Bob's cousin, David Stull, here is what I know about Sausage Rolls, another  yummy British appetizer.  I'm fairly certain that our older sons all existed on these for a few years.

First: British sausage is not the same as American sausage.  It's spiced differently and the texture is a much finer grind.  That being said, since Americans are used to American sausage, they're going to think these are wonderful with American sausage.  If you know of a good British market near you, definitely try to get British-style sausage.

On to the recipe:

The first recipe that I have is ridiculously simple.

Sausage Rolls

1 lb. bulk sausage
1 pkg. puff pastry sheets, thawed
dijon mustard
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay the puff pastry sheet out onto a lightly floured surface.  If it is already divided into 10 sections, go ahead and separate them.  If not, cut it evenly down the center, lengthwise, then into 5 sections each to get 10 squares.  Spread dijon mustard lightly on each piece of pastry.  Take a golf ball sized piece of sausage and roll it into a log shape, about the same size as the width of the pastry square.  Lay it onto the pastry and roll it up, pressing lightly at the seam to seal the pastry.  Set onto a baking sheet. Brush each roll with the beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes - start checking it around 12 minutes - until pastry is puffed and golden and sausage is cooked through.

The second recipe is from Epicurious.com and uses more spices in its mixture.

Sausage Rolls

1 1/2 lbs. good quality pork sausage
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the sausage, basil, oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste until all the seasonings are well distributed throughout.2
2. Roll out all the puff pastry into one large rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Put the wide side of the rectangle to your left. Form the sausage meat into a log about 1 inch thick and long enough to fit the width of the pastry. Lay this log along the whole edge. Roll the pastry around the sausage, brush with beaten eggs at the join, and cut so that the pastry has just enough room to slightly overlap. Repeat the process with the remaining sausage meat and pastry. Line up all the sausage rolls making sure the seam on each is at the bottom and not showing. Brush the tops with the eggs and cut the sausage rolls into either 1 1/2-or 3-inch logs.3
3. Spread about one inch apart on a baking sheet, and bake until golden brown and the meat is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. You can also freeze the rolls to be cooked later. Serve warm or cold.
2. Reprinted with permission from Eating Royally by Darren McGrady, (C) © 2007 Thomas Nelson Inc.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sausage-rolls-364750

Recipe Advent Calendar - Day 14 - Mexican Meat Mix and Chimichangas

Any missionary who has served in Mount Airy has been served Chimichangas at least once.  It's a favorite recipe of many of them and I've been asked for the recipe many times over the years.  The Mexican Meat Mix recipe came from the Make-a-Mix Cookbook, which sadly is no longer in print.  I don't put as much salt as they call for in their recipe, but otherwise it's mostly the same. Just know that amounts in this recipe are pretty fluid.  Sometimes I'll have 5 lbs of roasts, sometimes up to 7 lbs.  I just add things as needed to make it look and taste right.

Mexican Meat Mix
Makes about 9 cups of mix that can be used for Chimichangas, Enchiladas, Tacos or Burritos.  We even like it on salad.

5 lbs. beef roasts or a combination of beef and pork roasts, which is what I use.
3 Tbsp.vegetable shortening
3 onions, chopped
1 4-oz. can chopped green Ortega chilies
2 7-oz. jars mild salsa (the recipe really calls for green chili salsa, but I like the flavor of the mild red kind better)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (this varies, sometimes I add a lot, or a couple of cloves of minced garlic)
4 Tbsp flour
2 or 3 tsp salt (the recipe calls for 4 tsp, but that's too much)
1 tsp ground cumin
juice from the roasts

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Place roasts in a large roasting pan or Dutch oven.  Do not add salt or water.  Cover with a tight lid and roast about 12 hours, until well done.  You can also cook the meat in a pressure cooker with 1 cup water for 35-40 minutes, but it doesn't get the great flavors.  Drain meats, retaining the juice.  Cool meat, then remove bones and fat.  Shred meat and set aside.  Melt shortening in a large skillet (I just usually use corn oil), add onions and green chilies, and garlic if using fresh.  Sauté one minute.  Add salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt and cumin.  Cook one minute over medium low heat.  Stir in reserved meat juices and shredded meat.  Cook 5 minutes until thickened.  Cool.  Put about 3 cups of mix each into 3 1-qt. freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top.  Seal and label containers.  Freeze.  Use within 6 months.  I am usually making so many of these at one time that I don't have any mix to freeze.

Chimichangas
From the Make-a-Mix Cookbook
Makes 6 chimichangas

6 large flour tortillas
3 cups Mexican Meat Mix, thawed
Vegetable oil for frying
shredded lettuce
1 7 oz. jar of green chili salsa or mild red salsa
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup guacamole
1/2 pint sour cream

Warm the tortillas in a low oven for about 5 minutes (or microwave for about 30 seconds).  Heat the Mexican Meat Mix in a small saucepan or skillet if not using immediately after making.  Heat 1-inch deep oil in Dutch oven or deep skillet, deep fryers work well, too.  Lay a tortilla down and spread about 1/2 cup of meat mix down the center of the tortilla.  Fold up the bottom edge over the filling.  Do the same with the top edge.  Fold the left edge across the meat mix, then roll toward the other side and secure with a toothpick.  Fry in hot oil about 2 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve hot over shredded lettuce and top with salsa, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream.