Potato and Meat Strudel, or Strucolo di Patate e Carne: A strucolo is a Friulian strudel, which is wrapped in cloth and boiled rather than baked. They're often made with doughs that contain other ingredients in addition to flour. This recipe, which would be served as a first course (or could be a light lunch with a tossed salad), is an ideal solution to leftover meats, say from a platter of roasted meat cooked up for Sunday dinner. To serve 6 you'll need:
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 80 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the dough
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) potatoes
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups and 1 tablespoon (250 g) flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- A packet of yeast (Italian packets are about a tablespoon of the equivalent of baking powder)
- Salt
- For the filling
- 10 ounces (250 g) ground beef or veal, or ground up leftover meats
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
- An egg yolk
- Salt and pepper
- For the sauce
- 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
- Bread crumbs
Preparation:
Boil the potatoes until a skewer penetrates easily in salted water, then peel them and put them through a potato ricer. Turn the mixture out onto your work surface and combine it with the remaining ingredients of the dough, working them until the dough is uniform.
Moisten a muslin cloth and roll the dough out over it to a thickness of about a half inch (1 cm).
Sauté the ground meat in a pot with the oil, and once it has browned slightly add the tomato sauce, check seasoning, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes. Let the meat cool, then mix the cheese, parsley, and egg yolk into it and mix well. Spread the mixture over the dough, then grip one edge of the cloth parallel to the edge of the dough and lift it so that the dough falls over on itself; continue lifting gently to keep the dough moving, so it rolls up like a jellyroll. Wrap the strudel in the cloth, tie it shut lest it open, and heat a pot of water. Once it reaches a boil salt it, reduce the heat, slide the strudel into the pot and simmer it for about 50 minutes.
Melt the butter and heat the breadcrumbs in it.
Remove the strudel from the pot, unwrap it, slice it, and sprinkle the slices with well-buttered breadcrumbs.
Moisten a muslin cloth and roll the dough out over it to a thickness of about a half inch (1 cm).
Sauté the ground meat in a pot with the oil, and once it has browned slightly add the tomato sauce, check seasoning, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes. Let the meat cool, then mix the cheese, parsley, and egg yolk into it and mix well. Spread the mixture over the dough, then grip one edge of the cloth parallel to the edge of the dough and lift it so that the dough falls over on itself; continue lifting gently to keep the dough moving, so it rolls up like a jellyroll. Wrap the strudel in the cloth, tie it shut lest it open, and heat a pot of water. Once it reaches a boil salt it, reduce the heat, slide the strudel into the pot and simmer it for about 50 minutes.
Melt the butter and heat the breadcrumbs in it.
Remove the strudel from the pot, unwrap it, slice it, and sprinkle the slices with well-buttered breadcrumbs.
