Pumpkin and feta strudel

Living in Austria, of course strudel is on many restaurant menus - the traditional apple, the less common berry and sometimes 'topfen' which is like a local cottage cheese. Even though the strudel originated next door in Hungary, the Austrians have adopted this as the national food. Certainly if you come to Vienna, you must try one, with lots of fresh cream and maybe even a rum hot chocolate in the winter.

I made this vegetable version of a strudel, using in-season pumpkin and feta cheese. This was a tasty side dish for our grilled steaks. The leftovers kept well for lunch the next day.

What you'll need

Serves four to six serves

2 cups 3cm cubed pumpkin flesh (skin and seeds removed)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
Handful fresh basil, finely chopped
200g feta cheese, roughly chopped
1 packet prepared puff pastry (I used dinkle/spelt pastry). My pastry was approximately 30cm x 40cm
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter (to brush the pastry)
Salt and pepper

What to do

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is heated a little, add the onion. Cook, stirring constantly until the onion is translucent (don't let it go brown). Reduce the heat to low. 

Add the pumpkin flesh and stir well to combine with the onion. Cook, stirring constantly for five minutes. Add the chicken stock and replace the lid immediately. This helps to cook the pumpkin quickly through a 'steaming' effect. Keep the kid in place for five minutes. Now remove the lid and allow the liquid to cook off, so that the pumpkin mixture will not be too sloppy. Try not to stir the pumpkin too much now, as it will disintegrate. You want the pieces of pumpkin to stay whole as much as possible.

Cook until the liquid has evaporated and the pumpkin is soft. You can test the pumpkin is cooked by inserting a skewer or sharp knife into a piece. If it is soft, it is cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Season to taste, remembering that your chicken stock will most likely have salt in it.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Lay a clean tea towel on your kitchen bench. On top of the tea towel, lay out your pastry. 

Spoon the cooled pumpkin mixture on the pastry, in a line down the middle from one end of the pastry to the other. The mixture will be heaped and about 8cm wide. On top of the pumpkin mixture, sprinkle the basil and the nutmeg, then top with the cubes of feta cheese. 

Now gently fold each side of the pastry into the middle and pinch together with your fingers to secure it. You will now have a long tube of filled pastry. Neatly fold/tuck each end of the pastry under itself so the pastry parcel is now 'sealed.'

Gently lift the tea towel containing the strudel onto the baking tray. Carefully tip the strudel onto its side, while removing the tea towel from beneath it and roll it onto the baking tray. The tea towel will peel away and the strudel will be on the baking tray.

Brush the strudel with melted butter using a pastry brush. Place into the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes to cool a little. Slice the strudel using a sharp knife. 

Serve by itself with a salad or as a side dish.