Inge's Vegetable Strudel (vegetarian)

Mother-in-law – daughter-in-law relationship can be very difficult. I was very lucky to have had a mother-in-law who was not only a wonderful person but also a great cook. I learnt a lot from her and this recipe for the vegetable strudel is hers, too. 

The recipe is pretty long but please don’t be put off as firstly –I have included a lot of tips to make sure the strudel turns out perfectly, secondly - it is really worth the effort, and thirdly - it is a perfect starter when you are having guests. As stated in the recipe all the vegetables and béchamel sauce can be prepared a day earlier, in truth the whole dish can be prepared a day in advance (except for brushing the strudel with beaten egg) and kept in the fridge. The next day you will have to take it out from the fridge 1 hour before you would like to serve the dish and while you are waiting for your oven to get hot, brush the strudel with the egg. Then baking for 40 minutes, 15 minutes of resting and voilà –perfect starter not only for vegetarians!

INGREDIENTS (6-8 portions):

1/3 cauliflower cut into small florets,

1/3 broccoli cut into small florets,

2-3 carrots cut into 0.5cm slices,

2 onions cut into half-slices,

1 can of beans (kidney or butter) rinsed and drained,

1.5 tbsp ground linseeds,

1 tbsp olive oil,

1 tsp sugar,

salt & pepper,

350-500g rolled ready-to-use puff pastry,

1 egg, beaten.

Béchamel sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil,

3 tbsp all purpose flour,

400ml milk,

0.5 tsp ground nutmeg,

salt & pepper.

METHOD: 

1. Cook al dente each type of the vegetables separately in boiling water with added salt and 0.5 tsp sugar (it is very important to make sure the water is seasoned well). I cook the vegetables in the same water in the following order (not to discolour the ones cooked later): cauliflower, broccoli, carrots.
2. After each lot of the vegetables is cooked, drain them well on a strainer and put on a plate with a sheet of kitchen roll on, to get rid of all the water. Let the vegetables cool down completely.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onions, salt, pepper,  0.5tsp sugar and fry on a low heat till onions are caramelised (about 10 -12 minutes). Check the seasoning and leave to cool down.
4. Make the béchamel sauce: in a small, heavy-based pot warm up the olive oil, add the flour and stir it quickly and very well. Pour the milk (cold), vigorously whisk it and bring it to a simmer on a low heat, season well (salt, pepper and nutmeg). Constantly stir the sauce till it boils and thickens. Check the seasoning again, adjust if necessary. When done, immediately transfer the béchamel to a bowl and cover with cling film (this will prevent from forming a skin). Leave it to cool. The preparation of vegetables and béchamel sauce should be done a few hours before we are going to serve the strudel (even a day earlier) to make sure everything is cold.
5. Put greaseproof paper on a baking tray and put the puff pastry on it. In the middle of a half of the pastry that is closer to you, spread the ground linseeds to a rectangle about 7-10cm width, leaving approx. 3-5 cm on the shorter sides and 5-7 cm of the longer side  not covered by the linseeds (see a photo below).
6. On top of the linseeds spread caramelized onions, carrots, cauliflower, beans, broccoli and at the end – the béchamel (the sauce will be very thick, so you can cut it into slices).
7. Rise up onto the filling the shorter sides of the pastry and the long side that is close to you. Press it gently so it stays on the filing and brush the egg on it. Now move the other half of the pastry gently on top of the filling and seal the strudel. Brush the whole strudel with the egg.
8. Bake it in an oven preheated to 220 Celsius degrees (200 fan oven) for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190 (170 fan oven) and bake for another 30 minutes till golden. Take it out from the oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before you cut it into slices.