Pork, Pear and Fennel Sausage Rolls

This recipe was inspired by this month's Royal Foodie Joust at the Leftover Queen Forum. The ingredients for this month's challenge decided by last month's winners, Joanne and Adam of Inspired Taste, are Pear, Ginger and Fennel. What an amazing combination!!! These ingredients could mean either a sweet or a savoury dishes and of course, with a bit of though, the potential was endless.

We however went savoury and came up with Pork, Pear and Fennel Sausage Rolls. With freshly grated ginger, grated pear and of course ground fennel as part of the challenge mixed with some other grated vegetables, pork mince and sausage mince the flavour was intense but not overpowering, even Miss Alex who detests sausage rolls ate two large ones for dinner tonight.

Pork, Pear and Fennel Sausage Rolls

Makes: 24 large or 72 small

Points per serve: large 4.5 or small 1.5

6 sheets frozen reduced fat puff pastry, 25cm x 25cm

500 grams pork mince

500 grams sausage mince

3 pears, peeled and grated

1 onion, finely diced

2 carrots, grated

1 large zucchini, grated

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teapsoon crushed garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons ground fennel

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

cooking spray

2 tablespoons fennel seed, for garnish

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Remove pastry from freezer and allow to come to room temperature. Cut each sheet in half to make two rectangles.

In a large bowl combine pork mince, sausage mince, pears, carrots, zucchini, ginger, garlic, ground fennel, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix really well using hands.

Cover baking trays with foil or baking paper. Spray each tray with cooking spray.

Sprinkle board and hands with flour. Divide mixture into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage the length of the pastry. Take one piece of pastry and place one length of sausage mixture in the middle of on the pastry. Brush either side with beaten egg. Roll to enclose. Cut into desired lengths (cut into two for large or into six for small) and place on prepared trays. Continue until all pastry and mixture is used. Coat with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with fennel seeds, if using.

Place in oven and cook for 25 - 40 minutes until cooked through and pastry is golden.

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