Strudel is a pastry made with a thin layer of rolled dough which traditionally contains a filling of apples, raisins and pine nuts flavoured with cinnamon. The recipe originated in the Ottoman Empire and then made its way via Austria across the mountains of the Italian Tyrol. Today, strudel is a popular dessert all over Italy, particularly during the wintertime and the Christmas holidays.

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry:
250g strong white flour
Salt to taste
1 beaten egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil
75ml tepid water
100g sultanas or raisins
4 tbsp rum
75g Demerara sugar

For the filling:
50g blanched almonds or pine kernels
75g butter
75g white breadcrumbs
1 unwaxed lemon
1kg apples and pears or
1kg apples, pears and soft prunes
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 beaten egg
25g icing sugar

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt and create a well. Incorporate the beaten egg, the water and the oil and work the dough on a work surface until it is smooth and uniform. Leave to rest for 30 minutes in a warm place. Toast the nuts and then the breadcrumbs in a pan with a knob of butter and then leave to cool.

Chop the nuts, grate the zest of a lemon and put to one side. Peel and core the apples and pears, cut into slices, then place in the bowl with the lemon juice. Quickly knead the dough again. Using a rolling pin, create a thin rectangle of dough about 40x50 cm and rub with the remaining melted butter. Add the chopped almonds and the breadcrumbs leaving a 2 cm border around the edge. Drain the apples and pears and mix with the cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest.

On a clean, dry tea towel lay the dough and place the mixture on top. With the help of the tea towel, roll the pastry to enclose the filling. Seal the strudel with the beaten egg and place on a greased baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 20 minutes. Increase the temperature to 200°C for another 30 minutes and cook until the surface is crisp and golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm. Enjoy!