These are great with drinks and much lighter than actual sausage rolls. You can also freeze them uncooked and then cook from frozen for a handy standby.
Wine Suggestion: Bubbles of course … we’re particularly fond of the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Triple Zero, so named as it uses no chaptilisation, no liquer de tirage and no dosage. As unfettered and refined a Pet Nat you can find anywhere and very special for it.
Little salmon sausage rolls – makes 24
1 x 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry
1 egg beaten
FOR THE FILLING:
200g skinless salmon fillet, finely chopped
115g smoked salmon, finely chopped
125g full-fat cream cheese
25g Parmesan, finely grated
small bunch of dill, finely chopped
6 scallions, finely chopped
juice of ½ lemon
75g dill pickle from a jar, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Preheat a large baking tray.
Put all the filling ingredients into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Roll the puff pastry sheet out on a lightly floured surface to make a rectangle 30 x 40 cm. Brush with the beaten egg, then divide vertically into 3 even-sized pieces.
Divide the filling into 3 and make a mound down each piece of pastry. Lift and fold the pastry over and seal by pressing down with the back of a fork.
Cut each section into 8 and brush the tops with the beaten egg.
Line the hot baking tray with non-stick baking paper and place the rolls on top. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
(Original recipe from Mary’s Foolproof Dinners by Mary Berry, BBC Books, 2024.)
Wine suggestion: this almost demands an oaked white and given the time of year we thought Patrick Javillier’s Bourgogne Cuvée des Forgets, from the vineyards near Meursault would match with equal amounts of richness, buttery toastiness and a fresh, minerally core. Sometimes nothing can beat a good, deftly handled, oaked Chardonnay.
Meatball Stroganoff – serves 6
500g dried tagliatelle
50g unsalted butter
2 tsp poppy seeds
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
70g slightly stale bread, crusts removed and roughly torn
100ml milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g beef mince
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg
5g dill, chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
60ml olive oil, for frying the meatballs
FOR THE SAUCE:
3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
50g unsalted butter
400g small chestnut mushrooms, quartered
3 tbsp cognac
1½ tsp hot smoked paprika
1½ tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
650ml beef stock
150g sour cream
TO SERVE:
dill pickles, roughly chopped
a handful of dill, roughly chopped
Put the bread in the milk in a large bowl and set aside to soak for about 5 minutes.
Put the oil in a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then scrape into a bowl. Allow the onions to cool a little, then add them to the bowl with the soaked bread, along with the remaining meatball ingredients, apart from the oil for frying the meatballs. Season with 1 tsp of salt and some black pepper. Mix together well with your hands, then make 26 meatballs (they should be about 30g each). Cover and keep the mixture in the fridge until ready to cook.
Put 2 tbsp of the oil into a large sauté pan and place over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the meatballs and cook for 8 minutes, until nicely browned and just cooked, shake the pan gently to turn them. Transfer to a plate and cook the rest of the meatballs in another 2 tbsp of oil. Set aside.
In the same pan that you fried the meatballs, add the shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to caramelise. Add the garlic, cook for a minute, then scrape into a bowl.
Add half the butter to the pan, then add half the mushrooms, ¼ tsp of salt and cook for 6 minutes, until well browned and there is no liquid. Tip into the bowl with the shallots and repeat with the remaining mushrooms and butter, adding another ¼ tsp of salt.
Tip the mushrooms and shallots back into the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cognac and let it bubble for a few seconds, then add the paprika, tomato purée, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by a third. Add the sour cream, meatballs, ½ tsp of salt and some pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of salty water, then drain and return to the pot, then add the butter and poppy seeds. Toss gently to melt the butter, then divide between six bowl and spoon the meatballs sauce on top. Garnish with chopped pickles and dill.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller & Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2024. )
Pastrami bagel of dreams. We used some rose veal pastrami from Broughgammon Farm in Ballycastle but any pastrami will do.
Pastrami & cheese bagels – serves 4
4 bagels
8 slices of gruyère
600g pastrami, finely sliced
175g sauerkraut
dill pickles, to serve
FOR THE DRESSING:
120g kewpie mayonnaise
1 tsp capers, rinsed and dried
6 cornichons, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
a squirt of tomato ketchup
a squirt of sriracha sauce
a squeeze of lemon juice
a dash of fish sauce
Make the dressing first by whisking all the ingredients together. Taste and season as needed.
If you have a sandwich press, heat it up. We don’t and so cooked these in a heavy frying pan with another heavy frying pan on top to act like a press.
Cut the bagels in half, then put a slice of cheese on the bottom half of each. Top with loosely folded pastrami, sauerkraut and another slice of cheese. Cover with the bagel tops. Cook in the press or in a frying pan for about 4 minutes or until the cheese has melted, then open the bagels and spoon over the dressing.
Serve with the dill pickles on the side.
(Original recipe from Everything I Love to Cook by Neil Perry, Murdoch Books, 2021.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 