A strucolo from the inland karst high plains of Friuli: it's an interesting sweet dish that will provide an unusual beginning to a meal, and will be nice with a sweeter wine, for example a passito. The practice of boiling rather than baking a strudel is quite common in the area, and I expect, given the cinnamon and sugar involved here, that the recipe is quite old. To serve 6 you'll need:
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- ** For The Dough **
- 5 cups (500 g) flour
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- Water
- A pinch of salt
- ** For The Filling **
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs (120 g)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 3 ounces (75 grams) pine nuts
- 3 ounces (75 grams) raisins, soaked in water then squeezed to remove excess moisture
- 3 ounces (75 grams) finely chopped walnut meats.
- ** For The Sauce **
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- Sugar and powdered cinnamon to taste
Preparation:
Begin by making the dough: sift the flour onto your work surface, scoop a well in the middle of the mound, and pour the eggs into it, together with a pinch of salt. Work the ingredients together and begin adding warm water, a little at a time, until you obtain a smooth elastic dough that doesn't stick to your fingers. Cover you work surface with a cloth or sheet, flour it well, and roll out the dough as thin as you can, then spread it further by hand (see instructions if need be).
Heat the breadcrumbs until they're light golden in the butter. Mix them into the pine nuts, raisins, and minced walnuts, and distribute the mixture evenly over the dough.
Lift sheet under the dough parallel to one of the edges of the sheet of dough, so the edge falls over onto the filling, and continue lifting, so the dough rolls up into a jellyroll. Wrap the roll in the sheet, tying it up lest it unroll, and simmer the strudel in salted water for an hour or perhaps a little more. Unwrap the strudel, slice it, season it with unsalted butter, sugar, and powdered cinnamon to taste.
Heat the breadcrumbs until they're light golden in the butter. Mix them into the pine nuts, raisins, and minced walnuts, and distribute the mixture evenly over the dough.
Lift sheet under the dough parallel to one of the edges of the sheet of dough, so the edge falls over onto the filling, and continue lifting, so the dough rolls up into a jellyroll. Wrap the roll in the sheet, tying it up lest it unroll, and simmer the strudel in salted water for an hour or perhaps a little more. Unwrap the strudel, slice it, season it with unsalted butter, sugar, and powdered cinnamon to taste.
