Sausage rolls. Need I say more? It is Terry’s and the kids’ favourite food, and unfortunately for them since we switched to a paleo style diet, it disappeared from the menu. Because, you know, pastry is supposed to be out…
Until I came up with a paleo friendly version which opened all sorts of possibilities and Anne then begged for these Beef and Thyme sausage rolls she read about in Pete Evans Lunch Box ( I know she is serious when she snatches my cookbooks and returns them with dog earmarked pages! )

I must admit, there is a lot to love about these little morsels: the pastry is a cinch to make, so is the filling. They don’t look particularly pretty but they taste delicious and I like the fact that there is no “fillers” inside, it is just meat and vegetables ( which can be left out if vegetables are not your thing ). And most importantly, these will keep in the fridge for a few days kept in an airtight container, or can be frozen uncooked for up to 3 months. This means that they are perfect for lunch boxes ( Ask Pete Evans ) or batch cooking, as I have been doing in the past few weeks.

Since we’ve acquired our little plane, Mr T and I have been out flying whenever the opportunity arises. So far, the trips have been short and limited to week days due to weekend commitments. I like to think that we’re practising for a big adventure later in the year. Though it won’t be as grand and long as our previous sailing voyages, we’re still excited to go on a flying safari ( just saying the words gives me the bumps! ) Preparations are in full swings, destination research and flying practise take up most of our time, pretty much like planning an ocean crossing did. Except that instead of provisioning a boat, I am now provisioning my own house, knowing that Marc and Anne will remain home for a few weeks. Don’t be concerned, they are old enough to look after themselves, one is a 9th grader, the other is working. And we are lucky enough to have family around for support and a dog for company. As long as I make sure the freezer is full of these sausage rolls, they’ll be fine.

Beef and Thyme Sausage Rolls

Adapted from Pete Evans Lunch Box

Makes 24 small rolls ( snack size )

Ingredients

A batch of paleo pastry
1/3 cup of olive oil, butter or other animal fat, melted
2 onions chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp finely chopped thyme
700g beef mince ( or a mix of beef and pork if desired )
100g grated carrots
2 eggs
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp tomato ketchup ( Pete says homemade, but I used Heinz so technically it is not Paleo )
2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
a pinch of salt

1. Make the egg wash: whisk the egg, salt and a tbsp pf water in a small bowl. Set aside
   Pre-heat the oven to 220C. Line the baking tray with baking papers.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the fat in a frying pan, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.Add the garlic, thyme and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the remaining fat with the mince, carrots, eggs, mustard, tomato ketchup and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the parsley, pepper and cooled onion mixture with any extra fat from the pan, and pulse a few more times to form a paste. If you do not have a food processor, you can of course mix it all by hand in a large bowl until it becomes squishy between your fingers ( that was my method on the boat, where my food processor wasn’t big enough for large batches )
   Divide the mixture into 4 even portions and set aside to chill
4. In the meantime, divide the batch of paleo pastry into 4 sheets. Place one sheet on some baking paper with the long sides facing you. Pipe one portion of the sausage mix along the long side, at a thickness of approx 4 cm leaving a 1cm gap along the edge. Brush the pastry lightly with egg wash and starting with the edge closest to you, roll up with the help of the baking paper to enclose the filling. When done, carefully peel away the baking paper and turn the roll so that the seam is underneath. Transfer to the prepared tray. Re[eat with the other 3 pastry sheets and remaining sausage mixture. Brush the top of the rolls with the rest of the egg wash.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake for another 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden ( I also use a metal skewer to test that the meat is well cooked inside ). Allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting into 4 small sausage rolls ( or 12 larger ones if you prefer ). The kids like them served with tomato ketchup, I prefer a more gourmet tomato relish, but each to their own.