3 Layers Salmon Strudel

We all probably have some dishes we only cook for special occasions or celebrations: a special birthday cake or a stuffed turkey. For quite a few years I made this 3 Layered Salmon Strudel exclusively for Christmas Eve. But then I thought: why to limit having this wonderful dish to one and only one evening per year? And I started making it more often, as apart from being delicious, it is also very convenient: it can be prepared in advance just like Inge’s Vegetable Strudel  

If you are not sure how to roll a strudel in a way that there is not too much pastry on its endings, please watch the short video.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 portions):

150g rice,

475ml vegetable stock,

1 onion, chopped,

1.5 tbsp olive oil,

3 eggs,

250g mushrooms, sliced,

1 tbsp butter,

450g salmon, cut into 4-5cm pieces,

0.5 tsp mild paprika,

2 tbsp dry white wine (optionally),

salt and pepper.

500g puff pastry.

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot, add the chopped onion and fry on a low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice, increase the heat and fry, stirring for 1 minute, then add 350 ml of the vegetable stock and cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on the type of rice), stirring occasionally. If the rice absorbs all the stock but it is not soft yet, add more stock, a bit at a time as at the end it has to be sticky but not wet.
3. Boil 2 eggs for 8 minutes; when they are cold enough to handle, peel them off and chop.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the sliced mushrooms and fry till golden, season.
5. Season the salmon and sprinkle it with paprika.
6. Heat 0.5 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the salmon and fry for 2 minutes on each side. If you are using the white wine, add it to the pan after the salmon.
7. Preheat the oven to 220 Celsius degrees.
8. Mix the cold cooked rice with the chopped egg, season.
9. 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 closest to you, spread the rice mixed with the chopped egg to a rectangle about 7-10cm width, leaving approx. 3-5 cm on the shorter sides and 5-7 cm of the longer side (please watch the video for details).
10. On top of the rice put the fried mushrooms and then – pieces of salmon.
11. 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 beaten egg.
12. Bake it for 10 minutes in 220 Celsius degrees (200 fan oven), then lower the temperature to 190 (170 fan oven) and bake for another 20 minutes till golden. 
13. Take it out from the oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before you cut it into slices.