Persian Lamb Sausage Rolls
These lamb sausage rolls combine many flavours and textures to pack a punch. There’s the soft sweetness of sour cherries, the beautifully spiced lamb and the bite of pistachios all wrapped up in wonderfully flaky puff pastry. Since these are a bit more sophisticated than your average sausage roll, I often make bite-sized versions for entertaining.
Ingredients 20
40 g olive oil
2 onions, medium, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 kg minced lamb shoulder (ground lamb shoulder)
50 g couscous
60 g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
60 g dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
60 g pomegranate seeds
20 g pomegranate molasses
2 lime, zested, juiced
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), chopped, leaves
60 g plain natural yoghurt, plus extra if needed
15 g fine salt
1 quantity puff pastry, see my puff pastry recipe
egg wash, see my egg wash recipe
1 tbsp cumin seeds
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Method 8
Heat the in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the and for 10–12 minutes until softened and starting to colour. Add the , , and and cook for a further 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, use clean hands to thoroughly combine the cooled onion mixture, , , , , and , , , , and .
Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag with a 3 cm (1 1/4 in) diameter hole. (A piping bag will make it easier to distribute the filling, but you can always spoon it onto the if you don’t have one.) Refrigerate while you prepare the pastry.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Put the on a lightly floured kitchen bench and roll it out into a rectangle measuring 30 × 60 cm (12 × 23½ in) and 4 mm (1/8 in) thick. Lay the pastry so that one long side is parallel with the edge of the bench. Cut the pastry in half lengthways so you have two sheets, 15 × 60 cm (6 × 23½ in).
Check the sausage mixture – the and nuts may have absorbed more moisture. If the mix feels stiff, add 1–2 tablespoons to loosen it a bit. Pipe half the filling in a horizontal line one-third of the way up each sheet. Brush the pastry above each line of filling with egg wash.
Lift up the along the edge closest to you and fold it up and over the filling. Seal the pastry along the egg-washed edge, so the seam sits underneath the filling. The pastry should hold the filling evenly, and not be too tight.
Brush the tops and sides of both rolls with egg wash, lightly pierce along the top with a fork, then sprinkle the tops with . Cut each roll into 15 cm (6 in) logs, or smaller lengths if preferred. Lay your sausage rolls on the lined tray and rest them in the fridge for 30 minutes. At this stage, you can freeze them until required.
To bake the sausage rolls, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake from cold for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180°C (360°F). Bake for a further 25–30 minutes, turning the tray halfway through, until the pastry is golden, puffed and flaky. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before eating.
