Prairie Grass Cafe’s Savory Phyllo Strudel Recipe

Here’s a dish that will definitely impress your holiday party guests. It features a savory phyllo strudel filled with mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, greens and chestnuts served with grilled carrots and onions and topped with a cranberry vinaigrette. This recipes is shared courtesy of Chef Sarah Stegner, co-chef/owner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, IL. She created this dish as one of her special holiday dishes for this month at her restaurant.

Strudel Ingredients (serves 3 people):

• 4 sheets phyllo dough
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 1 cup sautéed mushrooms (cut in quarters, seasoned and sautéed until golden brown)
• 1 cup sautéed Brussels sprouts (trimmed, quartered, blanched, seasoned and sautéed until lightly browned)
• ¼ cup sautéed kale (trimmed, chopped, seasoned and sautéed until tender
• ¼ cup sautéed chestnuts (shells removed, blanched, seasoned and sautéed until tender, golden brown and just a little crunchy from the caramelization)

Cranberry Vinaigrette (makes about 1 cup)

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 oz. fresh cranberries
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1 cup cranberry sauce
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. grated orange zest
• 1 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the sautéed mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, kale and chestnuts
2. Spread the phyllo sheets out and cover them with a damp towel so the dough does not dry out. Take one sheet of phyllo dough and spread it on a cutting board or clean kitchen counter. Brush phyllo with a little melted butter. Repeat the process until four layers are stacked on top of each other with butter in between.
3. Along one edge of the phyllo, spread the vegetables and chestnut mixture out in a line and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Starting from that edge, roll the phyllo into a tight log and brush with butter.
4. Put the strudel log in the refrigerator for 1 hour (if you would like to chill the strudel longer you can).
5. While the strudel is in the refrigerator, combine the water, sugar and cranberries in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and then set the cranberry sauce aside to cool.
6. After the strudel has chilled, cut it into 3 equal lengths and put the strudels on a baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
7. To make the vinaigrette, put the cranberry sauce, cider vinegar, grated orange zest, orange juice, honey and Dijon mustard in a blender and puree until smooth.
8. Spread the vinaigrette on the plate, put the hot chestnut strudel on top of it and garnish with grilled heirloom carrots and onions.