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

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