Fennel Sausage Hand Pies

If I were to make myself lunch for a day of travelling, I can’t think of anything I’d rather make than one of these pies. Crisp flaky pastry is generously filled with sausage, fennel, tomato and grated mozzarella. It’s the love child of a pizza and a sausage roll. – Ed Kimber, author of Small Batch Bakes

1 batch Flaky Pastry

Flour, for dusting

200g grated mozzarella cheese

1 large egg, beaten

FOR THE FILLING

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

4 Italian pork sausages, casings removed

185ml tomato passata (tomato puree)

Sea salt

First make the filling: heat the oil in a frying pan over low–medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and fennel

seeds, season with a little salt, and cook gently until translucent, about 10 minutes. Turn up the heat to

medium and add the sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until lightly browned. Pour in the passata and simmer for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then set aside and cool to room temperature.

Divide the pastry in half. Lightly flour a work surface and roll each piece into a rectangle roughly 35 x 25cm. Cut each rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles. Spoon the filling onto half of the pastry pieces, spreading it evenly and leaving a 1cm clear border around the edge. Top with the cheese. Brush the border around the filling with beaten egg, cover with a second piece of pastry and press the edges together with a fork. Place the pies on a parchment-lined baking tray (cookie sheet) a

nd refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200.C (180.C Fan) 400.F, Gas Mark 6. Brush the chilled pies with the remaining beaten egg, then pierce the top with the tip of a sharp knife. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Set aside to cool slightly before serving warm or at room temperature. The baked pies can be

 stored for up to 3 days in a sealed container,  or frozen for up to a month. You can also freeze the unbaked pies and bake them from frozen, adding an extra 5 minutes or so to the baking time.

This is an extract from Small Batch Bakes by Ed Kimber