3 tb Olive oil
2 Onions; chopped
2 Garlic cloves (or more)
-- crushed
28 oz Canned tomatoes in juice
1 ts Dried basil
3 fl Red wine
8 oz Buttom mushrooms
-- washed & sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 oz Filo pastry
4 oz Butter; melted
3 1/2 oz Roasted cashew nuts
-- roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a fairly large saucepan, add the
onions and cook them, with the lid on the pan, for
about 10 minutes, until they are tender but not
browned. Add the garlic, the tomatoes together with
their liquid, the basil and the wine. Let the mixture
simmer gently without a lid on the pan, stirring from
time to time, until the liquid has disappeared and it
is quite thick - this will take about 20 minutes. Add
the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes or so,
or until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid which
they make has boiled away. Remove from the heat and
season to taste.
When the filling mixture has cooled, you can assemble
the strudel, which can then be cooked straight away,
or kept in the fridge for a few hours until you're
ready, or in the freezer for at least a month. I find
it easiest to assemble the studel directly on to a
large baking sheet, which means you don't have to lift
it later.
Set the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6.
If you have the type of filo pastry which is long and
narrow -- about 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 inches) -- lay two
sheets side by side, overlapping them slightly where
they join. If you have the type which is quite large
~- about 30 cm (12 inches) or so square -- lay out one
sheet. Either way, brush the surface with a little
melted butter and then sprinkle with a third of the
nuts. Put another layer of filo pastry on top, brush
with butter, and scatter with nuts. Repeat with
another layer, then a final layer of filo pastry,
which you just brush with butter. Now tip the tomato
filling mixture on top and spread it to about 2.5 cm
(1 inch) of the edges. Fold the edges over, to enclose
the edge of the filling then, starting from one of the
widest edges, roll the whole thing up like a Swiss
Roll, trying not to let it break (although it's not
the end of the world if it does). Brush with melted
butter and garnish with some shreds or shapes of filo
pastry.
Put the strudel into the oven and bake for 30 minutes,
or until golden brown. Transfer carefully to a
serving dish with the aid of two fish slices.
Source: Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Christmas Typed for
you by Karen Mintzias
