Pork, Prune and Sweet Apple Picnic Roll

How to make Pork, Prune and Sweet Apple Picnic Roll Recipe - This is essentially a huge sausage roll with the flavours of pork, prune, fennel, cheese and apple making for a lovely combination. Once you have had one slice, you can’t help but go back for more. Make this to take to any family occasion where you know people will just want to tuck in. You can also make these into small rolls – just mix in the prunes with all the other ingredients.

MAKES A 14CM × 26CM ROLL, SERVING 8–10 PEOPLE

PASTRY:
1 quantity of Butter Puff Pastry

FILLING:
2 shallots, peeled
1 bunch spring onions
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 fennel bulbs
6 good quality pork sausages
2 sweet apples, grated and
squeezed of excess juice
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
100g white breadcrumbs
125g sour cream
100g Cheddar cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g prunes

GLAZE:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
2 tsp fennel seeds

Method:
Make Butter Puff Pastry ahead and rest it as required. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a 45cm × 30cm rectangle, approximately 5mm thick. Place on a baking paper-lined oven tray and refrigerate until chilled (30 minutes).

Place shallots, spring onions, flat-leaf parsley, thyme and fennel bulbs in a food processor and blend until finely chopped.

Remove the skin from the sausages and place in a large bowl. Mix in the grated apple, mustard, breadcrumbs, sour cream and cheese, then season with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Take care not to over-salt as the sausages have already been seasoned.

Place half the sausage filling lengthways down the centre of the pastry and then arrange the prunes on top. Top with remaining filling and shape it to make a rectangle, approximately 14cm × 26cm.

Roll the pastry towards you making a long cylinder. Seal any joins and the ends with egg wash. Brush pastry with remaining egg wash, then score the top with a knife to create portions and allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with fennel seeds. Chill for at least 10 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 1 hour or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown in colour.

Once baked, rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing or wrap in aluminium foil and take for a picnic. Perfect with a crispy green salad.

Pork, Prune and Sweet Apple Picnic Roll