Sausage Bites with Pine Nuts

It's been quite some time since I updated the blog but that doesn't mean I haven't been experimenting with new recipes.  This recipe is for a fun / pretty easy appetizer.  Most of the bites were good - some were a little soggy but I think that can be attributed to my oven cooking a tad uneven.  I didn't use pine nuts because we had friends over that have a nut allergy (although I think pine nuts would have been okay, I didn't want to risk it).  I found the recipe here.

Ready to go in the oven

The finished product

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion or 3 medium shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package (14 oz) mild or hot Italian Sausage
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dry basil
• 2-3 tbsp fresh chopped dill
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed according to instructions
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan (optional)
• 1 egg for glazing, whisked with a small pinch of salt and 1 tbsp water until smooth
• Sesame, Caraway, dill or fennel seeds for decorating

Directions: 

1. In a skillet, melt margarine over medium heat
2. Add minced garlic and onion, and saute for 5-6 minutes, until fragrant and translucent. Let cool until manageable
3. Mix sausage, onion+garlic, thyme, basil, fresh dill, salt and pine nuts in a bowl, until uniform and smooth.
4. Roll out the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface into 4 strips 3 inches wide and about 12 inches long.
5. Arrange sausage stuffing into a 1″ inch roll in the middle of the strip, taking care to reach all the way to the edge on short end of the strip.
6. Sprinkle a portion of parmesan on top of the sausage stuffing
7. Spread some egg wash along one of the long edges of the dough.
8. Carefully fold the dough over the sausage stuffing, closing the seem.
9. Roll the sausage filled dough pipe on the board a little bit to ensure uniform thickness and to seal the seam.
10. Proceed with the remaining dough and stuffing.
11. When all pipes are ready, spread the egg wash all over them, and sprinkle the seeds of your choosing on top.
12. Preheat the oven to 425F.
13. Cut each pipe into 12 1″ bites.
14. Arrange the bites on a baking sheet 1″ apart.
15. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.  Serve warm