Sausage Kale Pinwheels
Happy Friday!! Friend, can I just tell you how awesome you are? I don’t have to know your story to know you are a prize. Life is WEIRD right now, yet here you are still perusing the internet for food inspiration. You’re still at it. Sometimes we don’t need to wait for a big milestone or breakthrough in order to acknowledge ourselves and the significance of our stories- sometimes we need to celebrate the fact that we’re still standing. WE’RE STILL STANDING, Y’ALL! So let’s celebrate with some happy things. Today I’m going to share these sausage kale pinwheels as well as a few things on the internet that have been making me smile.
What I’m Reading:
My dear friend left a pile of books in my mailbox, and it has brought me endless amounts of joy. My guilty pleasure of the moment is “Meg and Jo,” a modernized, medium-trashy version of the classic “Little Women” that tells the tale of 4 sisters growing in life and love together. If you love the original and are a fan of pointless fiction, there’s a good chance this is the mindless read you need right now. For a shorter read, check out this comical article from Bon Appetit about food etiquette in the times of social distancing. The author answers questions about eating during ZOOM meetings, hiding food from your quarantine roommates, and more.
What I’m Eating:
Besides endless pans of no-churn ice cream, I have been eating the crap out of these Mediterranean turkey burgers from The Modern Proper. Like, we make them weekly. Also, my girlfriend recently sent me this recipe for simple summer corn chowder which sounds all kinds of comforting and delicious. Don’t we need more food like that? Normally in April I’m thinking about bathing suit season and getting right for the summer, but honestly, let’s just get cozy. I want food that feels like a hug.
What I’m Watching:
We have yet to really binge on any kind of TV, but I have been filling my brain with all sorts of funny Youtube videos. John Krasinski (Yes, that’s Jim from “The Office”) has started a little video series called “Some Good News,” and on a recent episode, the cast of “Hamilton” sang the intro song to their show via a ZOOM call. I cried actual tears. It was beautiful. You should watch the episode, but especially that song… so amazing. Also this video of 5 unexpected moments in Carpool Karaoke is hilarious. Happy viewing!
Sausage Kale Pinwheels:
Chalk these guys up as your new favorite savory snack. These little scone-like pastries are filled with spicy Italian sausage, sautéed kale, and Swiss cheese. You can easily adapt them to meet your preferences and they are great for a number of meals- breakfast, afternoon snack, dinner appetizers, etc. This dough is incredibly versatile and can be used for a number of fillings, so feel free to go wild! Sausage kale pinwheels are kind of a derivation from our normal train of thought here, but we need some salty to balance out all that sweet, right? This is just the ticket. Give these a spin sometime in the coming weeks and let me know what you think! Hugs to you guys from me to you and happy baking!
If you like these sausage kale pinwheels you should try:
Tomato Olive Rolls
Kale Swiss and Sausage Quiche
Roasted Summer Vegetable Quiche
Tomato Galette
Sausage Kale Pinwheels
These sausage kale pinwheels are filled with spicy sausage and Swiss cheese. The pastry is flaky and tender and serves as a great breakfast or appetizer option!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 60
- Yield: 15
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1–2/3 cups (235 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
- 1/3 cup (80 gm) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 large egg, cold
For the filling:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ pound Italian sausage (I used mild)
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup chopped kale
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Baking spray or canola oil spray
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or the back of two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized clumps are present throughout and the butter is well integrated. In a separate bowl, whisk the whipping cream and egg. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until a shaggy dough forms. Dump the mixture out onto the counter and knead together just until a dry dough forms- do not overwork the dough. You can add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of cream if your dough won’t come together at all. Place the dough in the fridge while you prep your filling.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and onions and brown to perfection, breaking up the sausage as you go. Once browned, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring regularly. Add the kale, red pepper, salt, pepper, thyme, and water and cook until kale has wilted. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge. Once ready to roll, lightly dust a workspace with flour and use a floured rolling pin to roll out dough to a 8″x18″ rectangle, about 1/8” thick. Toss the swiss and parmesan cheese with the sausage mixture and sprinkle it all over the dough, leaving a 1” border around the perimeter of the dough.
- Starting with the widest end closest to you, begin to roll the dough somewhat tightly away from you until you reach the end. When finished rolling, pinch to seal the dough seam at the end. Slice the log into ¾” rounds and arrange them on the sheet pan. Bake in the oven until the crust is golden brown, usually about 20 minutes depending on the size of your rolls. Allow to cool slightly before consuming. Rolls are best eaten the day they’re prepared but can be reheated the following day.
Notes
- Feel free to sub in another cheese! A different variety of sausage! Another green!
