200g (~ 1 cup) dried red lentils
650ml (~ 2 1/2 cups) vegetable stock
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
50g bread (~ 2 small slices)
4 fresh sage leaves
100g (~ 1 cup) walnuts
Black pepper
1 egg
375g ready-rolled puff pastry (enough for a rectangle measuring ~ 16 x 11 inches)
2 tbsp flour for rolling
4 tbsp St Dalfour Thick Apricot preserve
2 tbsp milk
Method
Add the lentils and vegetable stock to a large saucepan, and simmer until the lentils are fully cooked (around 20 minutes). You’ll need to stir regularly, especially for the last few minutes, to prevent them from sticking. Allow any excess liquid to cook off, leaving a thick lentil mixture.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes over a medium heat, until soft.
When the lentils and onions are both ready, allow them to cool for 10 minutes or so. Add them to a food processor along with the bread, sage leaves, and half of the walnuts. Blitz thoroughly. The mixture should be fairly thick – if yours seems too thin, add another slice of bread and blitz again.
Season the mixture generously with black pepper (you probably won’t need any salt, unless you used low sodium stock), and add the egg. Blitz again to combine.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface (even if using ready rolled pastry, it’s a good idea to roll it a little thinner), to make a rectangle – mine measured approximately 16 x 11 inches. Cut the pastry in half lengthwise, and spread a good layer of St Dalfour Thick Apricot preserve along the centre of each length of pastry.
Dollop the lentil mixture along the strips of pastry – you may end up with a little left over. Chop the remaining walnuts, and scatter them over the lentil mixture. Pull the sides of each pastry strip over the lentil mixture, and seal with a little milk. Cut each long strip into three large sausage rolls, making six in total, and place seam-side-down on a lined, greased baking tray. Make sure you allow a couple of inches of space in between each roll to allow them to rise – you may need to use two baking trays. Lightly brush each sausage roll with milk, and cut a few slashes in the top of each.
Bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, or until the sausage rolls are puffed up and golden brown. Either serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack to cool.