Savory Meat Strudel

LastBaron's Note:

I have a friend in Duxbury, MA, who used to describe herself as the "hamburger queen." This recipe was concocted for her to show her that ground meat can not only be truly tasty, but also elegant, exotic and fit for company... This recipe is Bohemian in origin. You may substitute commercial puff pastry, if desired, although it will change the texture and make the results much heavier. Fussing with the phyllo is worth the time and effort.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 5

Yield: 1.0 Strudel

• 1 lb ground round , best quality lean
• 1 lb ground pork , leanest you can find (grinding your own is the very best idea here)
• 3 -4 yellow onions , chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced fine
• 1 red pepper , seeded and diced fine
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 -3 leaves fresh savory
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 -2 tablespoon plain breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup white wine (substitute chick broth if no wine at hand)
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 egg , beaten
• salt , pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika , hungarian
• 3 tablespoons fresh curly-leaf parsley , finely chopped
• 1 lb frozen phyllo dough , thawed
• butter , melted,as needed

Directions:

1. Saute chopped onion and peppers in clarified butter until translucent.
2. Add ground meat and bread crumbs and brown well.
3. Deglaze by adding wine (or chicken broth).
4. Stir and allow alcohol to dissipate.
5. Transfer meat mixture to large bowl and allow to cool slightly.
6. Season with fresh herbs, salt, pepper and Paprika; add sour cream and beaten egg, mixing thoroughly.
7. Allow mixture to cool completely in refrigerator, about 15-30 minutes.
8. Unwrap phyllo dough and lay flat on a damp towel, covering with a second damp towel.
9. [Phyllo will dry out incredibly fast if you don;t cover it with the damp towel, so do*not* skip this step.
10. ]Transfer phyllo, one sheet at a time to a third damp towel, brushing each sheet with melted butter.
11. Do not butter the last sheet of phyllo after transferring it to the stack.
12. Remove meat mixture from refrigerator and spoon onto lower 2/3 of the phyllo dough rectangle, leaving room at the edges all the way round.
13. Fold short ends of the rectangle in over meat mixture.
14. Brush long end of phyllo with beaten egg mixture.
15. Grab moist towel on one side and use it to lift and roll the package into a strudel (roll), pinching the egged end to seal.
16. Transfer the strudel, seal side down, to a well-greased baking sheet.
17. Brush entire strudel with remaining eggwash.
18. Transfer sheet to preheated 400-degree oven and bake 45 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
19. Transfer strudel to cutting board, allow it to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.
20. Serve with a Caesar or a composed salad for a delicious taste treat.
21. Makes a great luncheon or brunch dish, too.

Reviews

[Queen Dana]

The meat filling of the strudel was delicous. I had never cooked with phyllo before and found it difficult to brush the sheets with melted butter without tearing the phyllo so I skipped that and it worked ok. I also left out the rosemary. This recipe is definitely a keeper.