Sausage Rolls

Warning  -  these are very moreish and you cannot eat just one....

1 pack of sausage meat (about 500g)

1 pack fresh or frozen puff pastry (in sheet form rather than brick form - it's quicker)

1 tsp Pataks madras spice paste 

1 small finely chopped onion

Fry the onion gently in some sunflower oil, adding the Pataks towards the end. The onion should be soft and slightly caramelized. Leave aside to cool.

Put the sausage meat in a bowl and add the cooled onion mixture, giving it a good mix to distribute it evenly through the sausage.

Unroll the sheet of pastry and cut it in half lengthwise to make two rectangles about 25 by 15 cm

Place a roughly log shaped piece of sausage meat all the way along the rectangle, just slightly off centre (it will probably not want to form a nice neat log, but it doesn't really matter). Try to get it as evenly spread as possible.

Brush the pastry edge with  a little water.Fold the pastry over to make a long roll, sealing the long edge by pinching it all along the edge. Crimp with a knife handle to make it look fancier if you want.

Brush the roll with beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like, then cut the roll into 2cm pieces.

Place them well apart on a baking tray and bake them for about 20 minutes in a hot oven (190 - 200C) until golden brown.

Try not to burn your mouth when you can't wait to try the first one as soon as it comes out the oven.

Tom's Pork Belly Fajitas

Tom is back from university for the Easter holidays and offered to cook. He wanted to try to recreate a Mexican dish he'd eaten in Toronto at La Carnita; a pork dish with flavours of chili and some sweetness.  Not ever having eaten in La Carnita (but wishing I had) I can't confirm if it is like its inspiration, but it was utterly delicious and I could have eaten the whole lot by myself.

slices of pork belly (about 150g per person), salted and peppered and seared in a large pan.
Add chopped onions, jalapeno peppers and some garlic to the pan.
Then add dried oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and a bay leaf and pour Corona beer over the top until the pork is submerged. Add a dollop of honey and a splash of cider vinegar.
Cover and simmer for two hours by which time the pork will be tender and falling apart. Uncover towards the end of cooking to reduce the sauce.
Remove the pork from the sauce and pull/chop the pork into pieces. spoon the fat off the sauce and boil to reduce it to a thick consistency then pour over the pork.
Serve with warmed soft tortillas or crispy tacos, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, fried green and red peppers, grated cheese, refried beans and fresh coriander - diners assemble their own according to taste.