This recipe comes to me by way of Chef Gale Gand, co-owner of Tru Restaurant in Chicago and the Cenitare Group restaurants in Wheeling, Ill.
"This is my Hungarian Grandma Elsie's recipe. They were so poor they couldn't afford apples for their apple strudel so she just seasoned up cabbage with enough sugar and cinnamon so it tasted like apples."
I've had savory cabbage strudel before, but this was a new one on me. What a clever cook Gale's Grandma Elsie was! Everyone in my family raves about it. We call it Poor Man's Apple Strudel!
Makes 8 servings
View this Step By Step.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- For Filling:
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark or light raisins
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
- .
- For Pastry:
- 3 sheets filo dough, thawed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
Preparation:
- For the filling: In a large skillet, melt butter. Add cabbage and saute until tender. Add salt and sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Add raisins and cook a few minutes to reduce and thicken any juices. Stir in 1/4 cup toasted walnuts. Spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan to cool completely.
- To assemble the strudel: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place 1 sheet filo dough on a parchment-lined baking pan. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 sugar and 1/3 finely chopped walnuts. Repeat two more times, reserving last 1/3 of butter, sugar and walnuts.
- Turn the pan so short end of filo is closest to your body. Spread cooled cabbage filling 2 inches from top and sides, but all the way to the edge closest to you.
- Using the parchment paper to help you lift, roll the strudel away from you, encasing the filling and forming a cylinder. Move the strudel, seam side down, to the center of the parchment paper and tuck in the strudel ends.
- Brush entire surface with remaining melted butter, sugar and walnuts. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes on the pan.
- Using a serrated knife, carefully cut into 8 pieces and serve warm. Garnish with an edible flower, if desired, whipped cream, or a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar.
