lamb and spinach strudel

Out of the handful of parties and umpteen no-reason-but-we-should get togethers we have gone to in the last month I have never left one without a side cocked head and a huh? eeked out of a slightly opened mouth when the flaky phyllo stuffed triangle they just bit into had the audacity to be called a strudel. I thought strudels were sweet. Aren’t strudels fruit filled with a creamy-cheese icing drizzled on top? Are you sure these are strudels? And with each disbelieving person I nod my head and smile, trying to look confident as each person becomes more persistant that I am indeed wrong in the naming of the dish I brought (ahem, out of the kindness of my heart).

Really, I want to reply with a, Well, does it taste good? Do you like it? How ’bout that combination of lamb, spinach and feta — totally rocks, right? So then why does it matter if it is technically called a strudel or something else? But that is the very sarcastic cynical side of me, that I try to keep shoved in a box under my bed as much as possible since it makes me look impossibly snooty and petty 16-year old girl-ish mean.

So I thought I would educate myself, and then others on the fact that strudels can infact be savory check the facts making sure I was calling the buttery phyllo triangles by their correct name. And according to wikipedia, if you consider such sorces reliable — which I do when it confirms I am right — strudels, though most commonly a sweet pastry, can be savory. And really, this post is about me feeling justified and vindicated and wanting to let you know (before I snarkily reply to your inquiries as, WIKIPEDIA IT) that you can correctly say these are strudels and not blame BHG for a possible incorrect naming issue — believe me, I would have written a lengthy email to them stating the facts of the case and demanding a name change so others would not face the humiliation of being wrong like me. But ah, yes, I am not wrong.

Lamb and Spinach Strudel
Adapted quite liberally from Better Homes and Gardens

Yield about 18 – 20

1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, finely chopped
12 ounces crumbled feta
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Zest of one lemon
1 box (16 ounces) frozen phyllo sheets (9 x 14-inch rectangles) thawed*
1/2 cup butter melted**

*I liked Athen’s Fillo brand the best. The sheets were abnormally easy to work with and out of the two packages in the box only one sheet stuck to the one below.

** You may need more butter than this depending on how much you butter your sheets. I liberally applied the butter, and used slightly more than this amount, but it all depends on how much you “soak” those sheets.

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until brown. Remove meat from skillet and add onion and rosemary. Cook until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the meat back into the skillet and add the spinach, breaking up any clumps. Stir in lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and milk. Once combined add in feta and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Unroll phyllo dough. (Meg’s note: I did not keep my phyllo covered while making the strudel and did not have a problem with the phyllo drying out, but if you are worried it may, just cover it with the plastic it was wrapped in.) Remove one sheet of phyllo and lightly brush it with melted butter. Place second sheet on top of the first; brush with butter. Repeat process until you have four buttered sheets layered on top of each other. Divide the rectangle in half lengthwise. Scoop two heaping tablespoons of filling onto the bottom of each divided piece. Fold the left bottom corner over to the right edge of the sheet making a triangle. If any filling falls out just press it back into the strudel. Take bottom right corner and fold up to right edge sealing in the bottom edge. Press back in any filling that may have fallen out. Take bottom right corner and fold over to the left edge. Fold the bottom left corner up to the top left corner. Fold the bottom left corner up to the top right corner completing your triangle.  Brush with butter, sealing the edges and place on a baking sheet. (It doesn’t matter if your baking sheet is lined with parchment or not. The butter prevents the strudel from sticking.) Repeat process until all the filling is used. (I found the Athen’s Fillo Twin pack the perfect amount for all of my filling.)

Bake strudels for 15 – 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Do Ahead: Alternately you can place unbaked strudels on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 2 hours until hard, then gently place them in a zip-lock bag. They will keep for 3 months frozen. When ready to bake, do not thaw, just bake slightly longer.