Don’t forget later this week to use your Thanksgiving leftovers to make Black Friday Bread!!

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Is this the first time I’ve worked with phyllo dough? I think so. Do I still have 2/3 of a box in the freezer to use eventually? Sure do. This recipe, originally written for venison, uses a cranberry chutney to keep even the driest of meats moist and super delicious in this impressive-looking roll. Making the chutney felt like it took forever, but luckily you can make the filling parts ahead of time, simplifying matters greatly when it’s time to actually make dinner.

Ingredients:

Cranberry Chutney:

• 5 ounces dried cranberries (craisins)
• boiling water
• 1 red onion, diced.
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• peel and juice of 1 orange
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the meat:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef or venison
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

To combine:

• 12 sheets thawed phyllo pastry
• 1/4-1/2 cup melted butter

Begin by making the chutney. Using a bigger saucepan than I did would make things go faster, so I recommend it!

In a small heatproof dish, cover the cranberries with boiling water and let sit 2-3 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, place the red onion in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until translucent and softened.

Once softened, stir in the drained cranberries and remaining chutney ingredients.

Reduce heat as needed and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has significantly reduced and is thick – if you draw a spatula through it, liquid should not immediately run back in and cover the bottom of the saucepan. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the heat and size of your pot. Set aside to cool.

While the chutney cooks, prepare the meat mixture. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the diced onion. Cook until browned, which takes a while. Just go with it.

Once browned, remove from the pan. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and brown the meat until cooked through.

Season with the salt and pepper, then add the onions back in. Set aside to cool. At this point, you can either refrigerate both parts, or head straight into assembly.

When ready to assemble, heat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment/a silpat. Get out your thawed phyllo dough, but cover them with a damp cloth/paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you work. Lay out a single sheet of phyllo and brush the whole top with melted butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets layered on top, each brushed with butter, until you have a 6-sheet stack.

Sprinkle half the cooked meat mixture over the dough, leaving a 1″ border clear around all the edges. Top the meat with half of the chutney mixture.

Fold the long edges over, then roll up the pastry like a large burrito.

Place on your lined pan, seam-side-down, and brush the outside with additional butter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form a second strudel.

Bake 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Although phyllo dough is always going to be best the day it’s baked, I was pleasantly surprised at how not-squishy it stayed through a few days of leftovers. Nice!

Cranberry and Beef Strudel

From Jess Pryles.

Cranberry Chutney:

• 5 ounces dried cranberries (craisins)
• boiling water
• 1 red onion, diced.
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• peel and juice of 1 orange
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the meat:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef or venison
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

To combine:

• 12 sheets thawed phyllo pastry
• 1/4-1/2 cup melted butter

Begin by making the chutney. In a small heatproof dish, cover the cranberries with boiling water and let sit 2-3 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, place the red onion in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until translucent and softened. Once softened, stir in the drained cranberries and remaining chutney ingredients. Reduce heat as needed and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has significantly reduced and is thick – if you draw a spatula through it, liquid should not immediately run back in and cover the bottom of the saucepan. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the heat and size of your pot. Set aside to cool.

While the chutney cooks, prepare the meat mixture. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the diced onion. Cook until browned, then remove from the pan. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and brown the meat until cooked through. Season with the salt and pepper, then add the onions back in. Set aside to cool. At this point, you can either refrigerate both parts, or head straight into assembly.

When ready to assemble, heat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment/a silpat. Get out your thawed phyllo dough, but cover them with a damp cloth/paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you work. Lay out a single sheet of phyllo and brush the whole top with melted butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets layered on top, each brushed with butter, until you have a 6-sheet stack. Sprinkle half the cooked meat mixture over the dough, leaving a 1″ border clear around all the edges. Top the meat with half of the chutney mixture. Fold the long edges over, then roll up the pastry like a large burrito. Place on your lined pan, seam-side-down, and brush the outside with additional butter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form a second strudel.

Bake 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.