Achtung! Socceroos down but not out

Yesterday's World Cup football (soccer, if you will) match between the Australian Socceroos team and Germany was not pretty to watch! I am sure the German fans enjoyed it but as an Australian it hurt watching the Socceroos get pantsed 4-0.

We hosted a little shindig (Aussie party) at our place yesterday to watch the game. Little Roo was in charge of decoration, a job she took very seriously, she quickly and deftly applied Australian flag temporary tattoos on our unsuspecting guests before they could protest. Big Roo was in charge of catering, on the menu was German Beer (just to be fair), Australian wine and the Pièce de résistance, the Aussie sporting snack of snacks – sausage rolls. Sausage rolls are the Australian equivalent of having a hotdog at the ball game. It is usually made up of some mystery meat encased in pastry and dunked in tomato sauce. When you have not had one for a while, as we have not, you do begin to miss it. Where the Socceroos failed to score yesterday, Big Roo kicked a goal in the snack department. All the tasty little morsels of his homemade sausage rolls were gobbled up before half time.

Hopefully the Socceroos will improve in the next game but either way, the below recipe for sausage rolls will keep you snack happy while you watch.

Sausage Rolls

2 packets of pre-rolled frozen puff pastry

6 large Italian sausages, can be 'sweet' or 'spicy' according to taste

1/4 of a large red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of tomato sauce

1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 beaten eggs

Defrost pastry

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and then line two baking sheets with parchment paper

Once pastry has softened slightly, cut each square into equal thirds

Remove casings from sausages and then thoroughly combine meat with all the other ingredients, except the eggs. Season well

Form meat mixture in to long sausage shapes and lay on the top of pastry rectangles

Brush beaten egg along one of the inner edges of the pastry and then roll up

Cut into whatever size sausage rolls you desire

Brush the tops of the rolls with some more of the beaten egg

Increase the oven temp to 400 degrees F when you place the rolls into the oven

Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes

Serve hot or warm with tomato sauce