Asparagus strudel - country living
8 strudel
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Thin stalks asparagus | |
| 1 | Large shallot | |
| 1 | tablespoon | Chopped fresh mint leaves |
| 1 | tablespoon | Chopped fresh dill |
| 1 | tablespoon | Chopped fresh parsley leaves |
| 2 | tablespoons | Olive oil |
| 1 | Leek, white part only, cut into thin slivers | |
| ¾ | cup | Sliced blanched almonds, toasted |
| ½ | cup | Coarsely shredded Gruyere cheese |
| ⅓ | cup | Sour cream |
| 1 | Large egg, lightly beaten | |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Ground black pepper |
| 8 | 17-by 12-inch phyllo (strudel) leaves, thawed if frozen | |
| 6 | tablespoons | Butter, melted |
| Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows) | ||
Directions
1. Cut or break off and discard woody ends of asparagus. Rinse asparagus. In large skillet, heat ½ inch water to boiling. Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Dry skillet and set aside.
Cut off and reserve 2-inch pieces from tip-ends of asparagus for use in step 5 below.
2. In food processor fitted with chopping blade, puree remaining ends of asparagus with shallot, mint, dill, and parsley.
3. In same skillet, heat oil. Add leek and cook 2 minutes. Add asparagus puree; cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in ½ C toasted almonds. In small bowl, combine cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, and pepper. Stir warm asparagus mixture into cheese mixture; set aside until step 5.
4. Heat oven to 350'F. Unfold phyllo leaves; cover with damp towel.
(Phyllo dries out very quickly. Each time you remove a sheet, be sure to re-cover remaining sheets with damp towel.) Remove one sheet of phyllo to a flat surface; brush lightly with butter. Lay another sheet of phyllo on top, brush with butter; repeat 2 more times to make 4 layers. Cut sheet lengthwise in half; then cut each piece crosswise in half. Repeat with remaining 4 sheets of phyllo to make 4 more rectangles.
5. Divide asparagus mixture among phyllo rectangles (about 2 T on each) placing it along one 6-inch side of each rectangle. Fold both 8½-inch sides of each phyllo rectangle in to cover ½ inch of asparagus mixture.
6. Starting from filling-covered side of one rectangle, roll phyllo to enclose filling and make a 5-inch-long strudel about 1-¼ inches in diameter. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Insert 3 asparagus tips into each end of strudel. Repeat with remaining phyllo rectangles to make 8 strudel. Brush tops with butter.
7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare Tomato Vinaigrette. To serve, spoon about 1 tablespoon onto each plate; place a strudel on top. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Serve immediately.
Tomato Vinaigrette: In 2-quart saucepan, heat 2 inches water to boiling. Add 2 medium-size tomatoes and blanch 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. Core and peel tomatoes. Cut tomatoes crosswise in half and remove all seeds. In food procesor fitted with chopping blade, process tomatoes, 2 T olive oil, 1 T white-wine vinegar, and 1 t lemon juice until smooth. Makes about ½ C.
Country Living/May/93 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG