Tuesday 1 November 2011

Vegan Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Sausage Rolls

Vegan Sausage Rolls
Happy World Vegan Day!!!!

So, I made these the other day and I'm not kidding when I say this: they are the best sausage rolls I've ever had!! Simply delicious, and considering it's World Vegan Day I felt a party food post would be most appropriate. Seriously, if you're having a get together tonight whip a plate of these and watch them go ;-)

The idea came from a BBC Good Food recipe for "summer sausage rolls" that contained chicken, bacon, sundried tomatoes and basil. I thought they sounded nice and now that I have finally found vegan chicken style pieces I love - Fry's brand - thought I would veganize them up. I opted to omit the bacon as I didn't want faux meat overload here and the vegan bacon I buy really wouldn't process very well. I added a bit of smoked sea salt instead and also added a spring onion.

Altogether they came out beautifully, these are full of flavour and have a perfect texture. Obviously they will vary in taste and texture depending on your brand of faux chicken but I can say that these, with Fry's, are so, so good. I'll be making these quite often I'm sure, especially for get together's as they make perfect party food. As they are so full of flavour I would advise making them small like this, a full size sausage roll might be a bit much.... that being said, I ate 7 in one sitting - oooops!

Vegan Sausage Rolls

Vegan Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Sausage Rolls: makes 20 mini

225g ready rolled puff pastry
100g frozen vegan chicken style pieces, I used Fry's
25g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, about 3
10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 spring onion, chopped
1/8 tsp finely ground smoked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

First you need to defrost the chicken pieces, normally you just fry them in oil from frozen. This cooks them but also gives them a crisp outside. Perfect for a stir-fry but not what you want here as you need them soft to process. So, instead of oil add a couple tablespoons of boiling water to a frying pan and turn the heat on then add the chicken pieces. Gently fry just until they are no longer frozen and have absorbed most of the water, this will make them soft and moist enough to process.

Now simply tip them and all the other ingredients in to a food processor and process until finely ground and like a paste:

You can click on the photo here to see the texture closer.

Unroll the puff pastry sheet and slice it in half lengthwise so you have two long strips. Spoon half of the filling down the centre of one of the strips and repeat with the other:



Wet the top edge with a bit of water then fold the bottom over the filling then roll up sealing the edge. Give the edge a pinch along the seam with your fingers as well:



Slice the log in about 1 inch pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper:


Brush the tops with a little dairy free milk then dip the tops into a plate of sesame seeds


Now simply pop into a preheated 180C fan oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and puffed up - make sure there is no uncooked pastry, if there is leave them in a bit longer. Let cool slightly then transfer to a plate and serve warm.



I thought these would be nice with some Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce, and while they went well together I found the rolls just have so much flavour on their own they didn't need a sauce of any kind and I ate them all as they were :-)


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15 comments:

  1. What a great twist on a classic. I love those Frys chicken pieces too & I can't wait to try this recipe for picnics next summer.

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  2. these look great! i got some redwood chicken pieces to use and this is perfect! :) xx

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  3. I can’t get Fry’s brand here but I wonder how Gardien would taste? The flavour combination you used sounds wonderful, I’ll have to save this recipe for the next time we have people over.

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  4. Thanks all! Redwoods should work just as good, I've never had Gardien so can't say, but it's worth a shot, they are so yummy :-)

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  5. Yum! This would make a great appetizer to serve at Christmas time, and their pretty too! Bite sized food is so fun.

    I nominated your blog for the Leibster award, check it out the rules for passing it along on my blog!

    -Sophia
    http://whatyourmommadidntknow.blogspot.com/

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  6. Aw, thanks so much Sophia ♥ I'll add and pass on with my next post - cheers!!

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  7. Perfect! I'm so excited about this recipe for holiday parties and general delicious! Thank you!

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  8. Sigh...

    *unenthusiastically crunches on another carrot and celery stick combo*

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  9. hi debbie, i was wondering where i can buy smoked salt? Do you think i can get away with sea salt? thanks xx

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  10. Hi! I buy Maldon Smoked Sea Salt, back in the UK I got it at either Tesco or Sainsburys, sometimes Holland and Barrat too. Here is a stockist list from their website: http://www.maldonsalt.co.uk/Products%20Stockists%20Consumer.html that being said, regular sea salt finely ground would be fine, even table salt would work but I would use slightly less then.

    Good Luck!

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  11. Thanks Debbie! I managed to get it in Sainsbury's woho. Looking forward to trying the recipe later. If it's a success i will blog about it :)
    Thanks for your super quick reply!
    xx

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  12. They were a success!! Totally yum! I have blogged about them so be sure and check my blog out! xx

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  13. Yay! Glad to hear it, thanks for letting me know - on my way to your blog :-)

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  14. Hi Debbie,
    Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried it yesterday and they turned out brilliantly. All were eaten :o) I'll definitely be using this for party food during the festive season. Thanks again!

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    Replies
    1. So glad they were a hit Nicky! Thanks for letting me know :-)

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