Oven-roasted Ratatouille and
Mozzarella Strudel with Parmesan and Pecans
Filo pastry is made
ready to use, so no tedious rolling out and all that buttery, wafer-thin
crunchiness is guaranteed. This filling makes a very special strudel, perfect
for entertaining.
Serves : 6
Ingredients:
FOR THE STRUDEL:
Four 18 x 11 inch / 45 x 28cm
Sheets of Frozen Filo Pastry, defrosted
4oz / 110g Mozzarella,
cubed
3 tbsp Finely Grated Parmesan
4oz / 110g Pecan Nuts
3oz / 75g Butter
FOR THE OVEN-ROASTED RATATOUILLE:
2 Medium Courgettes
1 Small Aubergine
1lb / 450g Ripe Plum
Tomatoes, or any other Ripe, Red Tomatoes
1 Small Red Pepper,
deseeded and cut into 1 inch / 2.5cm squares
1 Small Yellow Pepper,
deseeded and cut into 1 inch / 2.5cm squares
1 Medium Onion,
peeled and chopped
into 1 inch / 2.5cm squares
2 Large Garlic
Cloves, peeled and finely chopped
A Handful of Torn Fresh Basil
Leaves, about ½oz / 10g
1 Heaped tsp Coriander
Seeds, crushed
3 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly
Milled Black Pepper
Instructions:
1.
First, you
need to roast the vegetables. Prepare the courgettes and aubergine ahead of
time by cutting them into 1 inch / 2.5cm dice, leaving the skins on.
2.
Now place
them in a colander and mix them with a rounded dessertspoon of salt.
3.
Then place
a plate on top of them and weigh it down with a heavy weight, making sure you
have a plate underneath the colander to catch the drips. Leave them like this
for an hour so that any bitter juices can drain out.
4.
Meanwhile,
pour boiling water over the tomatoes, leave them
for 1 minute exactly, then drain, slip the skins off and quarter the flesh.
5.
When the aubergines and courgettes have
drained, squeeze out any excess juice, then dry them
thoroughly in a clean cloth.
6.
Pre-heat
the oven to Gas Mark 9 / 475°F / 240°C.
7.
Now
arrange the tomatoes,
aubergines, courgettes, peppers and onion on the roasting
tray, sprinkle with the garlic,
torn basil leaves,
crushed coriander
seeds and season with freshly milled pepper.
8.
Drizzle
the oil over, then mix thoroughly to get a good coating of oil.
9.
Roast on
the highest shelf of the oven for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are
tender and tinged brown at the edges.
10.
Remove
from the oven and leave until cold.
11.
When you
are ready to make the strudel, pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 350°F / 180°C
and pop the nuts on
to a baking sheet to toast for 6 minutes.
12.
While they
toast, melt the butter.
13.
When the nuts are ready, remove
them from the oven and allow to cool a little.
14.
Now pulse
them in a processor to chop them small, transfer them to a small bowl and mix
them with 2 tablespoons of the parmesan.
15.
Now spread
a sheet of baking parchment out on the baking sheet.
16.
Follow
this with a sheet of filo, covering the remaining
sheets of filo with a clean, slightly damp tea cloth.
17.
Brush all
over the filo sheet with some of the melted butter.
18.
Sprinkle
on a quarter of the nuts
and parmesan.
19.
Then do
this another 3 times with the other filo sheets.
20.
Now
scatter half the cubes of mozzarella in the
middle of the pastry and then, using a draining spoon, transfer the roasted
ratatouille on top of that, leaving a gap of 2 inches / 5cm at either end,
followed by the other half of the mozzarella.
21.
Then use
the parchment paper to help you roll the filo over
the filling and then over again. What you need to end up with is the seam and
the ends tucked in underneath. You can discard the paper now.
22.
Now brush
the rest of the butter
all over and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 40 minutes.
23.
If you
want to, you can make the strudel in advance and bake it when you want to serve
it. Or I sometimes cook it in advance and whack it back in the oven to warm at
the same temperature for 10 minutes.
24.
Sprinkle
with the remaining tablespoon of parmesan before
serving.
If you would like to make a donation to help me keep this site going