Faccia de Vecchia (Old Woman's Face)

1 (16 ounce) box Pillsbury hot roll mix or your
    favorite one-pound bread machine roll recipe
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 egg
1 pound raw Italian sausage (mild or hot), casing removed
1 large, sweet onion, chopped
5 ounces shredded Asiago cheese or any hard, sharp grating cheese
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

If using roll mix, prepare as directed with water, butter and egg but skip over the dough rising step. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about the size of a jellyroll pan. Dough will be quite thin, but be sure there are no holes. Cover the rectangle with very small pieces of the sausage, flattening the pieces and dotting them all over the dough until you have used all of the meat.

Sprinkle the raw onion and then the cheese over the sausage in an even layer. Sprinkle the top with black pepper to taste. Starting along the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough, jellyroll style. As you roll, gently squeeze and stretch the dough until you have a log about 1 1/2 times as long as what you started with. Slice the roll in 1/2-inch pieces and place on air-bake cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sausage appears cooked.

Serves 12 to 14.

Nutrition values per serving: 269 calories, 14 g fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 11 g protein, 34 mg cholesterol, 487 mg sodium