(Printable version below)
My Aunty Rosemary has always been one of my greatest inspirations when it comes to cooking. I think I love sharing cooking with my nearly 8yo daughter, because I remember the joy I had in my Aunty's kitchen.
To give credit where it's due this recipe belongs to my cousin Dawne who is also an inspiration when it comes to healthy eating. In our family, we've come to know these as Aunty's sausage rolls, but who ever makes them, you won't believe these are meat free when you try them. In fact, serve them up to family or friends and after they've demolished a few, see if they believe you when you tell them there's no meat to be seen. There is no shortage of calcium, protein and B vitamins (especially B1 and B12). The oats are a great source of beta-glucans, a form of fibre which is great for lowering cholesterol and general gut health.
The nutrition breakdown here is as a guide only as your ingredients may vary. You can certainly play with the ingredients. This version is very kid friendly or for those who don't like strong flavours, however you can always add 1/2 a finely chopped onion to the mix or spice it up with a pinch of cayenne. The original recipe is made with puff pastry, but my Aunty has always used filo, which is deliciously delicate and flaky. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Method
Preheat oven to 200 celsius.
Have defrosted filo pastry laid flat in between 'just dampened' tea-towels to stop from going dry.
Place oats, cottage cheese, pecans, eggs, herbs, salt & pepper & soy sauce, in a food process and blitz until well combined.
Cool in fridge for 30 mins to allow it to firm up. Don't miss this step! Otherwise, the filling won't be firm enough to form a sausage on the pastry. The moisture level will depend on the size of your eggs, brand of cottage cheese and even your oats. If the mix appear to be too wet, add some extra oats and re-blitz.
Place a sheet of baking paper directly onto baking sheet to prepare for making the rolls. It's much easier to form the rolls directly on the baking tray, rather than trying to transfer them off a board.
Lay one sheet of filo on baking paper and brush lightly with olive oil. Repeat with two more sheets of pastry. The top sheet only needs the edges lightly oiled to help it stick when rolling.
Place the filling in a long mound along the middle of the pastry to make the sausage shape. Adjust the volume of filling to suit how thick you like your sausage rolls, but generally this recipe makes enough filling for two rolls.
To make the rolls, fold over pastry closest to you, over the filling and use the baking paper under to help continue rolling until it's all closed. If needed brush a little extra olive oil on the last edge of the pastry so it seals. Repeat with the second batch.
Brush the rolls with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Cut the rolls into 6 portions.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 mins until golden. When done, slide sausage rolls onto cooling rack. Enjoy with your favourite sauce!
* You can adjust the herbs & spices to your own liking. For spicy sausage rolls, add a pinch of cayenne pepper and 1/2 tsp dried cumin *
** These are great to have in the freezer as a quick heat up snack for parties or kids coming over for a play date. If planning for freezing, bake for 15 mins, and allow to come to room temperate before placing in freezer for up to 3 months. When needed, allow to thaw, then bake for 10 min at 200 celsius **
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