Lamb and Feta Strudel
This delightful strudel is chock-full of seasoned Ontario lamb, roasted peppers and Feta cheese. Made with store-bought puff pastry, it is braided for an elegant presentation as an appetizer or makes a satisfying main course to serve with leafy greens.
| 1/2 lb | lean ground Ontario lamb | 225 g |
| 1/2 cup | chopped onions | 125 mL |
| 1 cup | shredded potato | 250 mL |
| 2 | cloves garlic, minced | 2 |
| 2 tsp | dried oregano | 10 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | each salt and pepper | 2 mL |
| 1/2 cup | chopped roasted red peppers | 125 mL |
| 1/2 cup | crumbled Feta cheese | 125 mL |
| 1/2 | 1 lb (454 g) package frozen puff pastry, thawed | 1/2 |
| 1 | egg, lightly beaten | 1 |
| 1 tsp | coarse salt | 5 mL |
In skillet over medium-high heat, cook lamb, stirring until brown, approximately 10 minutes. Strain cooked lamb from any fat remaining in skillet; discard fat and return lamb to skillet. Add onions and potato and cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook one minute more. Stir in red peppers and Feta; let cool.
Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Arrange puff pastry on parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread cooled lamb mixture down the middle third of the pastry. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal splits down each side of the pastry about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Starting at the top, cross one strip over the filling, alternating each side to make a braid. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake in the bottom third of preheated oven until pastry is golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and slice with a serrated knife.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional Information: Per serving: 523 calories, 18.5 g protein, 36.9 g carbohydrate, 2.3 g dietary fibre, 33.8 g total fat, 71 mg cholesterol
Source: Homegrown Ontario (www.homegrownontario.ca).
