Pōhā tōtiti | Sausage rolls

Sausage rolls immediately take me back to working in the woolsheds on our farm. I was one of the rousies (shed hands) responsible for sorting the wool. It was never my favourite job, but it was made better by mum’s yummy smoko and lunches. Often, she’d bring up a tray of freshly baked sausage rolls with a container of tomato sauce and a few other baked goodies. MAKES 16

Te tōtiti | The sausage

INGREDIENTS

• Kia kotahi aniana iti

1 small onion

• Kia kotahi kokonui noni

1 tablespoon oil

• Kia kotahi kāroti nui kua waruwaruhia 1 large carrot, grated

• Kia rua kokoiti smoked paprika 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• Kia rua kokoiti pāhiri pūtī

2 teaspoons dried basil

• Kia 250 karamu pēkana ropiropi 250g smoked streaky bacon

• Kia hautoru kapu kīnaki tomato

⅓ cup tomato relish (store-bought) • Kia 5 tōtiti reme, tōtiti kau rānei 5 lamb or beef sausages

METHOD

1. Peel and dice the aniana. Add the noni and aniana to a frying pan and cook over low heat until transparent. 2. Add the kāroti, smoked paprika, pāhiri pūtī and pēkana ropiropi. Cook until the vegetables are soft and any liquid has evaporated. Tukua te kīnaki tōmato. Add the tomato relish. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced. Whakatāwaratia ki te tote me te pepa. Season with salt and pepper. Tip the mixture into a bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut the casings from the tōtiti and squeeze the meat into the bacon mixture. Mix with your hands until combined.

Te pōhā kōpuku | The puff pastry

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x quantity of rough puff pastry (see page 246 of WhānauKai for recipe) • or 2 sheets pre-rolled store-bought butter puff pastry

METHOD

1. Whakamahanatia te umu kia 170 te pāmahana. Heat the oven to 170°C.

2. If using the rough puff pastry, roll it out into a 5 mm thick rectangle measuring about 60 x 25cm. Cut the pastry into four even pieces.

3. If using pre-rolled pastry sheets, cut each square in half to yield four pieces.

4. Take a piece of pastry and place a quarter of the meat mixture onto the lower third of it. Shape the meat into a horizontal log. Fold the pastry edge closest to you over the meat and roll up tightly. Repeat this process with the remaining pastry and meat. Cut each roll into fourths, so you end up with 16 sausage rolls. Place the rolls on a tray lined with baking paper, leaving room between them so they can rise and cook evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve with tomato relish.