Sausage, red pepper and basil rolls

A spiced-up alternative to traditional sausage rolls. Makes about 35 bite-sized rolls, to serve eight.

170g cold unsalted butter, diced
150ml double cream
325g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 egg yolk, plus 1 egg whisked, to glaze
Salt
3 medium red peppers
2 red chillies
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tomato paste
½ tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
⅛ tsp caster sugar
300g beef sausages, skin removed and meat crumbled
150g pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
30g basil, shredded
½ tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds

Heat the oven to 240C/465F/gas mark 9. Put the butter, cream, flour, egg yolk and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a food processor and pulse to the consistency of large breadcrumbs. Tip out on to a clean work surface, then bring together loosely with your hands – don’t overwork it. Press together into a rough rectangle about 10cm x 15cm, then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to four days.

Put the peppers on medium baking tray and roast for 20 minutes. Add the chillies to the tray and roast for another 10 minutes, until the skins are blackened all over. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with clingfilm and set aside for 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the peppers and chillies, discarding the skins, seeds and juices. Put half the peppers in the small bowl of a food processor with all the chillies, oil, tomato paste, cumin, garlic, sugar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Blitz to combine, then add the remaining peppers. Pulse for a few seconds, to a coarse paste, then set aside.

Turn down the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Cut the pastry in half and return one half to the fridge. Immediately roll out the remaining half of the pastry on a well-floured work surface to a 2mm-thick, 30cm x 40cm rectangle. Keeping the longest side nearest you, cut this rectangle vertically into three equal strips, each measuring about 13cm x 30cm. Divide half the paste between the three strips and spread it out evenly over each piece of pastry, leaving a 0.5cm border along one of the long sides. Sprinkle the strips evenly with half the sausage meat, olives and basil, then, starting with the long side without the border, roll up each piece of pastry lengthways, so you end up with thin, roughly 4cm-wide roulades. Lay the pastries seam side down, so they stay sealed, then cut each roll into 4cm pieces.

Arrange the mini rolls, again sealed side down, on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, brush with the beaten egg, then sprinkle over half the nigella and sesame seeds. Leave to rest in the fridge while you repeat with the other piece of pastry and the remaining paste and other ingredients.

When you put the second batch of rolls in the fridge, take out the first batch and bake in the hot oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden-brown all over and cooked through. Leave to cool while you bake the second batch, then serve warm or at room temperature.