Savor your favorite sausage encased in a crispy, golden package of puff pastry, the perfect grab and go meal or snack, they make great bite size party food too and can be served hot or cold.
- 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 1 Whole Onion Spanish, Sweet or Yellow finely diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 3 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Paprika Smoked paprika can be substituted
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Whole Chipotle Pepper Minced
- 2 Teaspoons Dark Brown Sugar Light Brown Sugar can be substituted
- 2 Pounds Ground Pork preferably ground pork shoulder, not too lean
- 2 Sheets Puff Pastry Thawed
- 1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard Optional
- 1 Whole Egg beaten and mixed with 1 teaspoon water
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Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute or two Add vinegar and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
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Use a stick immersion blender or pour mixture into a traditional blender, add 1/4 cup cold water and blend until smooth, cool.
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Once the onion mixture has cooled, add the ground pork, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, then mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days to allow the flavors to blend.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place thawed pastry on lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthwise (see Recipe Notes for puff pastry thawing tips), roll puff pastry out into an 8" X 20" long rectangle.
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Divide sausage meat in fourths, then roll each mound into a 1" diameter sausage log, about 20" long.
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Beat egg and add 1 teaspoon water to make egg wash. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each pastry rectangle with the egg wash. Lay a sausage roll near one long edge of the pastry and roll up. Place sausage rolls, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet,(you can wrap and freeze at this point) brush the rolls with the egg wash.
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Cut sausage rolls into desired sizes. I recommend 3"-4" lengths for a heartier snack or small meal, or cut the more traditional 1" length for bite size pieces. With a sharp knife lightly slash the tops of the rolls (not into the sausage, just a slight line penetrating the puff pastry to allow steam to escape when cooking), 6 slashes for the longer pieces and 2 slashes for the 1" bites.
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Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the pastry is a beautiful golden color. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Working with Puff Pastry: Puff Pastry can be stored in the freezer in the original packaging for up to 6 months. To thaw, remove the sheets of puff pastry from their box and paper sleeves, cover with plastic wrap, and thaw on counter top for 30 minutes. If your kitchen is hot or you leave the pastry out longer than 30 minutes then the puff pastry will be harder to work with. If the pastry becomes sticky or is no longer cool to the touch, return to the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap until chilled. Remember that you want the puff pastry to be easy to manipulate but have a slight chill to it. Otherwise the pastry becomes sticky and hard to work with, it also will not rise properly when baked. Another option is to thaw in the refrigerator using the same method as above, the pastry should be ready in about 4 hours.
These chorizo sausage rolls are great for freezing so that you will have them on hand in a moments notice. You can either make the recipe up until the egg wash step (but before you add the egg wash) and then freeze or you can complete the recipe all the way through baking and then freeze at that point. If freezing before baking then stop just before the egg wash step, wrap chorizo sausage rolls in freezer paper, foil or plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to bake, pull directly from the freezer (no need to defrost), follow the recipe directions (don't forget the egg wash, that helps make the puff pastry a beautiful golden color) and add 10 minutes to the cooking time. If you really want an Out The Door In Minutes snack then complete the recipe all the way through cooking. Once the chorizo sausage rolls are completely cool, freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze for a couple of hours. Once the chorizo sausage rolls are frozen, place in a resealable plastic bag, mark with freeze date, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Pull individual chorizo sausage rolls from the freezer bag and microwave for a minute or bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through.