Vegetable Strudel

I really thought I had a post of this, and have been trying to avoid making it for a couple of months.  Can't find one, so here we go.

I had half a package of puff pastry taking up freezer space and a can of mushroom gravy that was a good idea when I bought it.  Somehow, this inspired a very good meal.  While I had it for dinner, it's also excellent for lunch, brunch, tea, an appetizer, or as a side.

This does generate a wee bit of dishes, since you have to cook the vegetables first.  On the other hand, you could cook them earlier in the day or the day before and split up the work.  The vegetables need to cool a bit before going on the pastry, so it's the same amount of time.

This was another fly by the seat of my pants recipe, even though I did research.  Pepperidge Farm's recipe (that I now can't find) was kind of close to what I did.  A lot of the recipes have you mix an egg into the veggies, to form kind of a casserole.  Others use shredded cheese as the binder.  My vote is for the cheese approach.  I used slices, and it was hard to roll the filling into the pastry.  Once I broke up the cheese, everything fit, so that's what I'm posting.

Sorry, I didn't realize how many ingredients this was.  I was mostly clearing out the crisper and last year's frozen broccoli.  The result is very nice, so it's absolutely worth it.

1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb butter
1/2 tsp salt
*1 yellow or sweet onion
*1 C chopped broccoli
*1 C chopped spinach or other greens
*1 carrot, peeled and chopped
*2 Tb chopped sun dried tomato, either from oil or soaked if dry
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
*1 sheet puff pastry
flour for rolling the pastry
4 oz shredded cheese of choice (about 1 C)
egg wash

1.  Heat the oil and butter over medium low in a wide skillet.  Peel the onion and French it, which is slicing stem to root ends instead of in rounds.  Separate the layers, sprinkle with salt, and slow cook for 15 minutes.  Stir, come back 15 minutes later again, and come back every five minutes after that until the onions are as caramelized as you like.

2.  Add the broccoli, greens, carrot, and tomato pieces.  Stir in oreganto and basil.  Cover and cook on low until the greens are wilted and the carrot starts to soften.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool.  This part can all be done ahead and refrigerated.

3.  Defrost puff pastry according to package directions, usually on the counter for 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

4.  Roll the pastry out to about 14" x 10", dusting with flour as necessary.  Stir cheese into the now-cooled vegetable filling.  Place filling in a log on the long side of the pastry, slightly off-center.  Roll the filling so you have a clean side for sealing.

5.  Transfer the log to the baking sheet seam-side down and seal the ends of the log.  Cut vents in the top, then brush with an egg wash if you would like a shiny crust.  Bake 25 minutes, or until well browned and the pastry is cooked.  Allow to sit 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve hot or room temperature, with gravy on the side if desired.

Serves 4 as a main, 6-8 as a side

Difficulty rating :-0