filo – bFeedme

Apple Strudel, a traditionally Sweet dish is given a re-vamp with this Savoury twist. A range of vegetables included in the dish transforms a personal favourite desert into this – great for a starter, main course, or as a snack.

It can be frozen once cooked, and then heated up, so it’s a good dish to have as a back-up in case you need something for short notice.

To Serve 6
150g Butter or Margarine
2tbsp Olive Oil
450g Waxy Potatoes (such as Maris Bard or Wilja), peeled and diced
450g Carrots, peeled and diced
225g Leeks, trimmed and sliced
1 small bunch Spring Onions
450g Spring Greens, thick stalks removed and shredded
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and crushed
1tbsp Lemon Juice
300ml Fromage Frais
Ground Mixed Spice
Salt and Pepper
4 Large Sheets Filo Pastry
75g Ground Almonds
Poppy Seeds

1. Melt a third of the Butter with half of the Olive Oil in a large saucepan, before adding the Potatoes, Carrots, Leeks and Spring Onions for four or five minutes stirring all the time. Add 125ml of Water, lower the heat, cover and cook gently for ten to fifteen minutes. Leave to cool.
2. Heat twenty five grams of the butter with the rest of the Oil in a large pan, add the Garlic and Greens, then stir fry for two or three minutes or until softened. Stir in the Lemon Juice, then leave to cool.
3. In the bowl of Potato and Leek, stir in the Fromage Frais, and season to taste with the Mixed Spice, Paprika and Salt and Pepper.
4. Melt the remaining Butter. Lay the sheets of Filo Pastry on a clean and dry work surface, and brush lightly with melted Butter. Lay a second sheet over the top to make a forty five centimetre square. Repeat with the remaining sheets to make a double-thick square, and sprinkle the Ground Almonds evenly over the Pastry.
5. Spoon half of the Potato mixture over a quarter of the Pastry, making sure you leave a border around the edge, then layer with the Greens, then the rest of the Potato mixture.
6. Fold the sides in, then roll the Strudel up like it was a Swiss Roll. Transfer to a baking sheet, with the final join at the bottom. Brush with melted Butter, and sprinkle with Poppy Seeds.
7. Bake in an oven at 200C, for around twenty to twenty five minutes, until Golden Brown. Leave to stand for five minutes before serving.

Photo Courtesy of: stu_spivack

Serve with freshly cooked vegetables of your choice, this dish is relatively fast and easy to make, and also quite cheap as well – you’re looking at around £4 per portion, which is quite low for a dish with such varied flavours and textures in the dish – the soft, succulent flesh of the meat, and the crispness of the pastry.

To serve 4
50g Butter, at room temperature
2cm Fresh Root Ginger, Grated
Zest of ½ a Lemon
125g Frozen Filo Pastry
4 x 125g Salmon Fillets, Skinned
½ Red Chilli, Deseeded and Chopped
½ Green Chilli, Deseeded and Chopped

1. Mix half of the butter with the Ginger and Lemon Zest, then season well. Wrap in Clingfilm and shape into a sausage and chill until set – it should be around thirty minutes
2. Heat the oven to 200C and melt the remaining Butter in a small pan, and set aside.
3. Unroll the FIlo Pastry and cover with a clean, damp tea towel, and keep covered as much as possible. Brush with a small amount of the melted butter, and lay another sheet on top. Place the Salmon Fillet on top in the middle of the layers of Pastry, and season with a small amount of the Chillies and Black Pepper. Repeat with the other three Salmon Fillets
4. Unwrap the Ginger Butter, and slice into four equal rounds, and wrap the Pastry up to make a parcel. Transfer to a non-stick baking tray, and brush with the remaining Melted Butter.
5. Cook for fifteen to eighteen minutes, until Crisp and Golden.

Serve fresh from the oven, with a range of various seasonal vegetables.

Photo Courtesy of: Xelliex

Vegetable Strudel

Spicy Salmon Parcels with a Zesty Ginger Butter