The Puff Pastry Strudel with Red Cabbage and Ricotta is a simple recipe from Trentino-Alto Adige Region. The most famous strudel is the one with apples and cinnamon, but the savory version will amaze you with its colorful look!
It is a really versatile recipe: enjoy it as a healthy appetizer, as an entrée, or for a spring picnic, whenever the weather lets us out.
The recipe of pastry strudel with red cabbage and ricotta
The ingredients are simple and seasonal: the red cabbage and the ricotta cheese. This vegetable is a great source of antioxidants, with anti-inflammatory effects. Furthermore, the red cabbage promotes heart health, and contains several bone-benefiting nutrients, vitamins C and K, calcium, and zinc.
Moreover, the ricotta is a fresh cheese from Italy with a soft and creamy taste. Producers make it by “recooking” leftover liquids from cheesemaking. This cheese is high in selenium, a good source of calcium and proteins, and low in lactose.
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- 1 red cabbage
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cups (200 g) ricotta
- 1 slice speck in little cubes (if you like it)
- 1 red onion
- 1 orange zest and juice
- 1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp bread crumbs
- EVO, salt, pepper to taste
- some thyme if you like it
- Sesame seeds for decoration
- Other alternative ingredients: pine nuts , cinnamon, and raisins
Instructions
- Wash throughly the red cabbage, slice it and let it marinate for 1 hour with salt, sugar, orange juice and zest.
- Let the ricotta rest in a strainer so it will drain.
- Heat a non-stick pan with EVO and the sliced onion, add some water until the onion becomes transparent then add the cabbage and cook until it softs, 30/40 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and, if you like, cinnamon, raisins, and pine nuts.
- Let the cabbage cool down.
- Mix together the ricotta, the cabbage, the parmesan cheese, the speck, some thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
- Unroll the puff pastry sheet and cut it in half. Place one pice on parchment paper.
- Dust the puff pastry with some bread crumbs, then add the mix and spread it on the puff pastry.
- Add the second piece of puff pastry and then roll them together.
- Paint with some water or beaten egg the top of the puff pastry, add some sesame seeds and do 2 small cuts on the top so the steam can evaporate during the baking.
- Bake in the oven to 350F for 20-25 minutes, until it golden browns.
The Puff Pastry Strudel with Red Cabbage and Ricotta with its spices reminds of an Italian Region peculiar and beautiful. In the South Tyrol part the influence of people from Central Europe has been very strong. Germans and Austrians in particular have contributed ingredients and traditional recipes to the heart of South Tyrolean gastronomy.
This recipe is really simple to prepare: the puff pastry wraps the health red cabbage and ricotta, and will make a perfect appetizer to start your next dinner with friends, or it will be the perfect food for your next spring picnic.
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Ciao!
Martina and Elisa
