Sausage Rolls, July 28, 2015

My darling got in fairly late last night, so I made sure to have something good for her to munch on immediately when she got in, a platter of baby carrots (Bunny Luv, my favorite brand), cauliflower, & broccoli with garlic anchovy dip. After she finished some more work, we settled in to the rest of the meal, sausage rolls and corn on the cob (cooked in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes). I have traditionally made pigs in blankets with hot dogs and bread dough, so it was fun to mix it up a bit with smoked sausage & puff pastry. I would definitely try that again! It was a great summer meal and pretty dang easy! The dip is very, very garlicky, so beware if you're not a huge fan of the stuff. We both really love it! And don't be afraid of the anchovies. You can definitely taste them, but it's certainly not super-fishy. I was inspired for these recipes by Pippa Middleton's Celebrate cookbook, but have altered them. The cookbook is full of great seasonal menus & recipes, as well as a whole bunch of fun ideas and gorgeous pictures.

Garlic Anchovy Dip

4 cloves garlic

2 oz. can flat anchovies, drained

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 c. sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

Whizz the garlic and anchovies into a paste in a mini food processor. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Serve with veggies!

Sausage Rolls

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

4 smoked sausages (the size of hot dogs)

Ketchup, mustard, apricot jam/mango chutney/orange marmalade (optional)

1 egg yolk

A little bit of water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface & roll out to make it slightly larger. Cut into 8 rectangles. Spread 4 with a little bit of whatever condiments you like or leave plain---I put apricot jam on one for Jeannene to try (she loved it), then had ketchup & mustard on the table for dipping. Center a sausage on those 4 rectangles. Mix the egg yolk and water. Brush the edges of the pastry with the mixture, then top with a second pastry rectangle. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Press edges together & crimp with a fork to seal. Prick the top pastry of each and brush with the rest of the egg mixture. Bake about 20 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned. Serves 2-4.