Continuing the taste of Hungary (and the Burgenland - see "Paprika", newsletter 46), I'm going to set myself up as a target by providing a recipe for Cabbage Strudel as requested by one of our members. I doubt if there is any dish (other than goulasch) that is as memorable as cabbage strudel among Burgenland descendants. There are many variations and a lot of you strudel bakers will tell me I'm doing something wrong or suggest variations.
Mary Marek writes:
Question about cuisine...My name is Mary Marek and I am a member of The BB...my question for you is this...I am desperate for a receipe for Cabbage Strudel...My husband's Grandmother used to make this....she was from Eisenzicken....I have searched in vain looking for a receipe that matches hers..... Do you know of anyone who may know how to make this.???? Hope I am not a bother, but I do not know where to turn. Thanks.
There many variations. Most families try a few and settle on one which is to their taste. If you haven't pulled strudel dough, don't be alarmed if your first attempt ends in a failure. Something you have to do to become an expert. You can patch small holes even though they say you shouldn't. Just makes the strudel a little lumpy. Would get you fired in Vienna. (Note - if your dough flops and ends up in the garbage, you can always boil some noodles and put them in the frying pan with your cabbage filling for that tasty dish "kraut-nockerl").
(or use store-bought Phyllo Dough (sometimes can be too dry)
- 4 cups high gluten flour (Ceresota or one of the bread flours available in most stores)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 small eggs
- 1/2 cup melted butter or shortening (not hot) 1 cup warm water
- (some add a teaspoon of vinegar to help activate dough)
Sift flour into large bowl, make a well in center, put in eggs beaten in the
water, salt and shortening. "Make a dough"
(that great immigrant cooking
expression that always drove my mother up a wall), working with the hands
until it comes away from sides of bowl. If too wet, add a little flour. Dough
should be soft, pliable and silky. Shape into two round loaves, brush with a
little extra melted shortening and let rest covered on a floured towel in
warm place for 1 hour. While waiting, make filling:
(or use store-bought Phyllo Dough (sometimes can be too dry)
- 1 head cabbage (abt. 2 lbs. finely chopped, squeezed and drained of liquid)
- 1/2 cup fat (bacon or ham fat gives a stronger flavor but shortening is ok too)
- 1 Tbsp. or more sugar
- 2 Tbsp. black pepper (some don't add this untill filling the dough)
- 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. crushed caraway seeds
- 1/3 cup butter
- beef broth (beef boullion cube dissolved in water ok)
Cook sugar in fat until browned; add cabbage, salt, pepper and carraway. Stirring constantly, cook cabbage until lightly browned, adding beef broth in small amounts if necessary to keep cabbage from burning. Let cool.
This is most difficult part:
Place a loaf of dough on a clean floured cloth covered surface, (it will
eventually cover the work surface -a card table area is about right). Roll
dough flat with floured rolling pin as thin as possible, then start from
center with hands under dough and gently pull and stretch outwards with a
rolling motion circling the table. Don't stretch too far before moving
outward a few more inches at a time to avoid holes. When table is covered
with dough you can see through, remove lumps of dough from edges by cutting
or winding off. (These edge pieces can be reworked if not too dry or twisted
into pretzels, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked for the kids in the
strudel oven. You can also make sticks, roll in parmesan cheese and make
cheese straws.)
Sprinkle half melted butter (from 1/3 cup) over stretched dough. Sprinkle half cabbage mixture next making sure coverage is even. Sprinkle with half bread crumbs. Starting at one edge, rollup (use the cloth to do this, picking up one end and letting the dough fall away from the cloth) firmly toward center for two long rolls (easiest) or all the way for one fat one.
Cut to fit pan or sheet. Put rolled strudel on greased baking sheet or pan and brush with melted butter. Repeat with second loaf. Bake in medium oven until lightly browned. Cut into four inch pieces and serve warm.
- Sprinkle filling with cream (sweet or sour) before rolling.
- Add more or less caraway seed.
- Add bacon bits (rendered) or "grammels" (bits left from rendering lard) before rolling.
- Add onion (to taste-maybe 1 small one chopped fine) to cabbage before cooking.
- Sprinkle with sweet paprika.
- Add more sugar, lemon rind and blanched almonds to potato filling (below).
- Original recipes all called for lard for "fat".
Potato strudel can be made in the same way (it's drier). Cook 3 or more large baking potatoes with skins on. Remove skins and put through ricer. Sprinkle on dough, add butter and breadcrumbs, maybe more salt and do all the other things.
My grandmother served both cabbage and potato on special pre holiday Fridays (meatless days). She doubled and tripled the above recipe. She had a soup and salad first, then the above and apple or cherry strudel for dessert. The strudel was kept warm in big black baking pans in a warming compartment of her immense gas and coal iron stove that filled a whole kitchen alcove. Have fun, I'm going to look for a snack. Gerry