Have you woken up from your post-Christmas food coma yet? We returned to Bristol last night, definitely a little heavier and with a firm resolve to kick sweet things to the curb for the next two weeks at the very least. Christmas at my parents has definitely proven to me, once more, that a sweet tooth is something that runs in my family – the amount of sweet things my mum made has at least equalled the amount of savoury dishes on offer.
And the trouble is that every time you sit down at the kitchen table to have a coffee or tea, a platter full of all sorts of cakes and cookies turns up in an instant and you never find yourself having just one thing. It was delicious while it lasted but now that Xmas is over and we are at home, we have decided to try to curb our sweet tooth a little as it feels a bit out of control. Tough (withdrawal) times ahead! We had a lovely time in Poland, enjoyed catching up with friends and family, delicious vegan food in Krakow and my mum’s food, but we did miss our little four pawed rascal – Tina – so we are happy to be home. She welcomed us last night with an obligatory sulk, but it didn’t last very long. After about 5 minutes, she rolled on her back as a sign that she is now ready to receive plenty of tummy rubs that she has missed out on. She then slept between us, her tiny little frame sprawled so far and wide that I nearly fell off the bed in the middle of the night. It’s always a special time after we return home to her, so it’s all forgiven. Today’s recipe is a bit of a mash-up, it’s my take on a British classic – sausage rolls, made vegan. They are in part inspired by a Polish delicacy of ‘paszteciki’, which are bite-size savoury pastries filled with mushrooms and sauerkraut – doh, most things are filled with cabbage and mushrooms when it comes to Polish winter dishes! They are a bit of what I feel like inside, in part Polish and in part English 😛 – ‘immigration rolls’, if you like. Having lived here for almost my entire adult life, I don’t feel 100% Polish anymore, I also do not feel (or am) British. I am a strange amalgamation of things with a bit of Greekness thrown in from our 4 years in that beautiful country. Having said that, these have been dutifully tested by Duncan’s workmates, most of whom are English BTW. He presented them as ‘vegan sausage rolls’ and they were very warmly received, apparently. No one made a peep about their dubious credentials… Jokes aside, they are really nice, savoury, smoky, a little spicy and easy to put together. They make a great New Year’s Eve snack so if you plan on hosting this year, make them, enjoy and Happy New Year!
