Boozy Apple Strudel

It is my little tradition to treat myself to Apple Strudel after a few hours of skiing, when we have a break somewhere on top of a mountain in South Tirol. Since Apfelstrudel comes from that part of Europe, I know I am likely to get the best: wonderful apple filling surrounded by thin pastry. It takes a long time to make dough for the strudel as it has to be very elastic so it can be rolled and stretched really thinly: I have heard you should be able to read a newspaper through it.

I am sure one day I will approach the original recipe but for now I wanted to make a simplified version so I decided to use filo pastry instead. It is also extremely thin and additionally - it gives a bit of a crunch to the strudel. In my version, I replaced breadcrumbs with Amaretti biscuits to enrich the strudel with a nice almond taste; I also soaked raisins in rum for a more adult version. And to make the dessert even boozier, I served it with a whipped cream combined with a bit more of rum. Obviously alcohol doesn't have to be added but on cold winter days, it does warm you up even if you are not on a ski slope!

INGREDIENTS (for 8 portions):

Strudel:

50g raisins,

2 tbsp rum,

500g apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped into approx. 2cm pieces,

40g Demerara sugar (plus extra for sprinkling the strudel),

1.5 tsp cinnamon (plus extra for sprinkling the strudel),

70g Amaretti biscuits, crushed,

3-6 sheets of filo pastry (depending on size),

50g melted butter.

Sauce:

300ml whipping cream,

1.5 tbsp icing sugar,

3 tbsp rum.

METHOD:

1. Soak the raisins in the rum for at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat a fan oven to 170 Celsius degrees.
3. In a big bowl mix together the apples, sugar, cinnamon, raisins (don’t add rum if any left as it may make the strudel soggy) and the crushed Amaretti.
4. Prepare the filo pastry. If the sheets are big (approx. 40cm x 30cm), place one on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush it with melted butter. Put another sheet of filo pastry on top and again - brush with melted butter. Repeat till you have used all 3 sheets. If the sheets are smaller, put two of them overlapping each other to get the required size and follow the above instructions to get 3 layers of pastry.
5. Place the apple mixture on one third of the prepared pastry leaving 5 cm out on the 3 sides (similarly to 3 Layered Salmon Strudel - please watch a video for details).
6. 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 filling and brush with the melted butter. Now roll up the strudel from the filling end into a cylindrical shape making sure the ending is at the bottom of the strudel. If you prefer not to have too many layers of the pastry on the endings, please watch the video.
7. Brush the strudel with the rest of melted butter; sprinkle the top with a bit of extra cinnamon and Demerara sugar  and put to the oven for 30-35 minutes.
8. Serve it with the sauce prepared by whipping the cream and mixing it with sugar and rum.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More