A Savory Vegetable Strudel, or Strudel di Verdure in Forma: One generally associates strudel with sweets. However, they can also be savory, and here's a tasty example that will work very nicely at a festive occasion. To serve 8 you'll need:
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the dough
- 2 1/2 cups (250 g) unbleached all purpose flour
- An egg, separated
- 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
- A pinch of salt
- Olive oil
- For the filling
- 8 ounces (200 g) of squash, already peeled and cleaned
- 2 zucchini
- 2 shallots
- 10 ounces (250 g) cauliflower
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano
- 2 tablespoons minced chives and thyme
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sift the flour into a bowl and mix it with two tablespoons of water, the egg white, the salt, and the butter, broken into bits; work the mixture until you obtain a smooth soft ball. Rub it with a little oil, cover it, and let it sit in a warm place for at least 40 minutes.
Next, see to the filling: Wash the zucchini, trim the tips, and cut them into thick rounds. Cut the squash into strips and then cut them crosswise into thin blocks. Trim off the cauliflower florets, wash them, and pat them dry.
Peel the shallots, chop them coarsely, and sauté them in a large pot with four tablespoons of oil. Add the other vegetables and continue cooking over a medium flame, stirring often, for five minutes. Add the minced herbs, sprinkle 2 more tablespoons over it all, and cook for another couple of minutes.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Beat the eggs in a bowl with the milk and the Parmigiano, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough, flouring your rolling pin often, to obtain the thinnest possible sheet of dough. Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) long rectangular bread tin, line it with oven paper, and then with the sheet of dough, allowing it to extend beyond the rim of the pan. Layer the vegetables into the pan, sprinkling each layer with some of the egg-and-milk mixture, and when you have filled the mold fold the sheet over the filling to seal things up. Beat the remaining egg yolk and brush the top of the strudel with it.
Bake your strudel for 45 minutes, let it cool, unmold it, dust it with more minced herbs, and serve it in thick slices.
Next, see to the filling: Wash the zucchini, trim the tips, and cut them into thick rounds. Cut the squash into strips and then cut them crosswise into thin blocks. Trim off the cauliflower florets, wash them, and pat them dry.
Peel the shallots, chop them coarsely, and sauté them in a large pot with four tablespoons of oil. Add the other vegetables and continue cooking over a medium flame, stirring often, for five minutes. Add the minced herbs, sprinkle 2 more tablespoons over it all, and cook for another couple of minutes.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Beat the eggs in a bowl with the milk and the Parmigiano, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough, flouring your rolling pin often, to obtain the thinnest possible sheet of dough. Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) long rectangular bread tin, line it with oven paper, and then with the sheet of dough, allowing it to extend beyond the rim of the pan. Layer the vegetables into the pan, sprinkling each layer with some of the egg-and-milk mixture, and when you have filled the mold fold the sheet over the filling to seal things up. Beat the remaining egg yolk and brush the top of the strudel with it.
Bake your strudel for 45 minutes, let it cool, unmold it, dust it with more minced herbs, and serve it in thick slices.
