Recipes
Vegetarian Miso-Mushroom Sausage Rolls
The art of a delicious vegetarian sausage roll is in creating a filling that is just as moist and juicy as the original. This recipe turns to mushrooms to achieve that feat. Naturally packed with water, mushrooms keep the filling moist while imparting an immense savoriness that is reinforced by miso paste. Using two different types of mushrooms — a combination of cremini or button mushrooms and shiitake, oyster or other wild mushrooms — adds more flavor and texture, but feel free to experiment with other varieties. These bite-size mini rolls are perfect for sharing and can be made ahead of time and frozen (see Tip), so are well suited to potlucks, picnics or any holiday table. A tip: The mushroom mixture doubles as a great vegetarian burger; simply shape into patties and pan-fry until golden.
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/4 pounds cremini or button mushrooms, finely chopped (see Tip)
- 1/2 pound shiitake, oyster or other wild mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped (see Tip)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons white (shiro) miso paste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups/8 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 sheets puff pastry from 1 (17- or 18-ounce) package, thawed in fridge for 24 hours
- 1 egg, beaten
- Sesame seeds (optional), for topping
- Ketchup, to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions. Stir until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms (both varieties) in batches, allowing each batch to cook down for 1 to 2 minutes before adding more. Once all the mushrooms are in the skillet, add the garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are dry and starting to stick to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the miso and butter; stir until the butter has melted. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. (The mushroom mixture can be made 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.)
- To the cooled mushrooms, add the cheese, bread crumbs and scallions, and stir to combine. Taste, seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Arrange racks in the middle and bottom shelves of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Working with one sheet of puff pastry at a time, roll each pastry sheet into a neat square (does not need to be exact) and then cut in half to make 2 rectangles. (You’ll have 4 rectangles total.)
- Divide the mushroom mixture into 4 roughly equal portions. Using wet hands, press the mushroom mixture into a rough sausage shape and place it into the middle of each rectangle. Brush one long edge with the beaten egg and then carefully fold the other long edge over to encase the filling, pressing it into the egg-washed edge to seal. Flip it over so that the seam is on the bottom. Repeat this with the remaining three pastry rectangles, until you have four long rolls.
- Brush the top of each roll with egg wash and sprinkle over sesame seeds, if using.
- Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into 6 to 7 bite-size pieces (they should be about 1 1/2 inches). Arrange them across the two sheet pans, leaving a 2-inch gap between them to allow them to puff up.
- Place on the middle and bottom racks of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, swapping the pans after the initial 10 minutes, until golden. Serve with ketchup. (Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat from frozen, without thawing.)