Ingredients
| 2 carrots, finely diced | |
| 2 stalks celery, finely diced | |
| 2 onions, finely diced | |
| 6 cloves garlic, chopped | |
| olive oil | |
| a knob of butter | |
| 1kg venison mince (another tasty combo is 50/50 beef and pork) | |
| 1 cup grated cheese | |
| 1 cup whizzed up old sourdough or panko breadcrumbs | |
| 4 tablespoons plum sauce, relish or chutney | |
| 2 eggs, plus extra for brushing the pastry | |
| a bunch fresh mixed herbs, chopped | |
| a generous seasoning salt and pepper | |
| homemade flaky pastry (see recipe), or use bought pastry | |
| sesame seeds or poppy seeds, to sprinkle on top | |
| FLAKY PASTRY (RECIPE FROM LITTLE & FRIDAY) | |
| 3 cups Milmore Downs Stoneground Organic Flour | |
| pinch salt | |
| 450g butter, frozen | |
| 180ml iced water |
For this recipe, I used wild venison harvested as a family, with my husband Gareth and our children, Leroy and Esther. I also recently got onto Milmore Downs organic stoneground flour thanks to another Soil Sister, Libby Moon. The wheat is organically grown and stoneground in Canterbury. Stoneground milling preserves nutrients from the bran and therefore flavour. It’s been a game-changer in my baking in terms of taste.
I’m not good with exact measurements and it’s also a bit of whatever we have available – a dash, a splash, a shake, a bunch, a tipple – so don’t be afraid to freestyle and add some spice or toasted seeds such as cumin or fennel and grated apple.
Instructions
| 1. | FLAKY PASTRY |
| 2. | Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. |
| 3. | Grate in 180g butter and rub it into the flour until fully combined. |
| 4. | Dice the remaining butter into small cubes and add to the bowl. |
| 5. | Lightly mix the butter in with your hands until it is covered with flour. |
| 6. | Add the iced water and mix with your hands until the dough starts to come together – the mix should be dry with clumps of butter. |
| 7. | Tip the mixture onto a floured bench and gently work together with your hands to make a ball. |
| 8. | Roll out into a rectangle, about 20cm x 30cm. |
| 9. | Fold the short sides to meet each other, then in half again. |
| 10. | Put into an airtight container and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is ideal. |
| 11. | Repeat the roll and fold twice, then return to the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. |
| 12. | Cut the pastry in half and roll each half out to 5mm thick to form two sheets. |
| 13. | You can then cut both sheets in two again which might make it easier to manage for sausage rolls. |
| 14. | Best used within 24 hours. |
| 15. | SAUSAGE ROLLS |
| 16. | Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a tray with baking paper. |
| 17. | Sauté the carrot, celery, onions and garlic in a hot pan with some olive oil and a good knob of butter. |
| 18. | Put into a mixing bowl and and mix all the filling ingredients together. |
| 19. | Divide the filling between the sheets of pastry, spreading it down the middle of each sheet. Roll up. |
| 20. | Whisk some extra egg and brush over the rolls – you can also sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. |
| 21. | Gently cut into individual sausage rolls – don’t be shy, no one wants to eat a sausage roll in one bite. |
| 22. | Bake for 20-30 minutes (they might need longer depending on how fat you make them). |
By Adele Lofthouse of Lofthouse Garden and A Soil Sister, Pirongia / Flaky Pastry (Recipe from Little & Friday)