My Homemade Sausage and Feta Hors D'oeuvres

When I am hosting a party, I love serving everything homemade, made from scratch. Now these pinwheel pastries may look super fancy but they are quite easy to make at home. You just need a little planning and do a couple of steps ahead of time. I am telling you, these will be gone within minutes!

You can serve these pastries as Hors d'oeuvre or as a side dish with your dinner. The pastry is prepared with an enriched dough kneaded with cream cheese and butter. The pastry swirl is very easy to make and just requires a delicious filling to accompany the flaky pastry. You can also make these with kids! They can help you to spread the cheese and the filling and then arrange the sliced pieces on the baking tray.

This rolled up feta, chicken sausage and caramelized onions topped with parsley is indeed a fancy treat. This pastry dough is decadent, flaky and easy to work with. Just make sure to use a cool space to roll out the dough because we don’t want the butter to melt.

Before trying this recipe, I used to look longingly at the bakery windows wondering how they could create such petite masterpieces. Well, making these swirls or pinwheels may sound intimidating but the recipe is actually pretty easy. The first step is rolling the dough into a thin rectangle. If the shape is not perfect don’t be afraid to use the knife and give it a little trim. Stick the pieces where appropriate using a little water (so that it sticks) then sprinkle a little flour on it to dry it up. Once you get the perfect shape, spread the sausage and caramelized onions on it, followed by the feta cheese and chopped parsley. Now all that is left is to roll the pastry dough into a log, cut it into slices and bake.

So give these delicious and beautiful pinwheel hors d'oeuvres a try and then post your comments and photos using my hashtag #lifewithoutalu.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• Unsalted Butter - 2 sticks, room temperature
• Cream Cheese - 8 ounces, room temperature
• Egg Yolks - 3 large 
• Salt – ½ teaspoon 
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon 
• Fennel Seeds - 3 tablespoons 
• All-Purpose Flour – 2 1/3 cups, plus more for dusting

Tip: Read Basic Kitchen Measurements to learn how to separate egg whites and yolks.

For the Filling:

• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – ¼ cup 
• Chicken Sausage - 1 pound, casings removed
• Onion - 1 large, thinly sliced
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – ½ teaspoon (optional)
• Salt – a big pinch
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper – ¼ teaspoon
• Feta Cheese - 8 ounces, crumbled
• Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley Leaves – ½ cup, washed and coarsely chopped

For the Finishing:

• Egg - 1 large, beaten lightly
• Pastry Brush
• Parchment Paper

Directions:

Make the dough: 

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. 
• Add the Salt, Red Chili Powder and Fennel Seeds, beat until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour (a couple spoonfuls at a time) to combine.
• Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. 
• Divide into 3 equal pieces and shape into flattened rectangular disks, wrap each in plastic. 
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. (Tip: I froze the dough overnight then thawed it in fridge for 4-5 hours, it helped shape the dough better).

Make the filling:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Crumble sausage into pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. 
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet along with the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. 
• Add the Red Pepper Flakes and season with Salt and Pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until Onion turns golden red, about 8 minutes. 
• Add the reserved sausage, and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. 
• Stir in feta cheese and parsley; set filling aside.

Roll, Fill and Bake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. 
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 10X12-inch rectangle, thin like a roti or tortilla.

• Sprinkle with a third of the Sausage mixture.

• Gently spread the filling all over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides.
• Starting at the long (12-inch) edge, roll the pastry into a log.

• Turn the log down so that the open edge is on the kitchen counter. Using a sharp, serrated knife, carefully cut each log into ½ -inch-wide slices. 
• Place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling. 
• Brush the beaten egg over the top of the pastries.
• Bake the sheets, rotating halfway through, until the pastries are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• These savory pastries can be kept in an airtight container/ zip lock in fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them. Serve them at room temperature or reheat them in a 200-degree F oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy! 

Tip:

• It may be difficult rolling the dough into a thin rectangle. If the shape is not perfect don’t be afraid to use the knife and give it a little trim. Stick the pieces where appropriate using a little water (so that it sticks) then sprinkle a little flour on it to dry it up. 

Love serving Hors d'oeuvres? Try these as well:

• Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche
• Namkeen (Savory Deep Fried Indian Snacks)
• Pyaz Ke Pakore (Onion Fritters)
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Meethi Chutney Matar Phulki
• Methi Pakora (Gram flour and Fenugreek leaves Fritters)
• Palak ke Pakore (Gram flour and Spinach Fritters)
• My Homemade Spicy Potato Hors D'oeuvres