Walnut, Three-Cheese and Apricot Strudel

Pretty pleased with this one: a savoury version of strudel that is easy to make and lovely with it. Though I say so myself!

The quantities given will serve four with large appetites or otherwise six as a hot main, or would make eight to twelve nice slices served cold - it's easier to slice more thinly then. The whole process from start to serving takes me about 70mins, including 35m cooking time. The ingredients can be prepared in advance, making the method itself very quick. The oven needs to be at 190C fan oven (200C otherwise) before the dish goes in. 

A large baking sheet is needed, lined with baking parchment, and a medium bowl.

Walnut, Three-Cheese and Apricot Strudel
Ingredients
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed in the fridge for a few hours
90g walnut pieces (or halves), chopped fairly small
70g soft goats' cheese
50g blue cheese, crumbled
40g cheddar, coarsely grated
70g dried apricots (about 10), soaked for an hour, then drained well & coarsely chopped
3 tbsp snipped fresh herbs (basil, thyme leaves, sage, coriander all OK) 
2 tbsp milk

Method
1  Unroll the pastry on its covering paper, then roll out a little to thin it slightly. It will be 
       the right shape (rectangular).

2  Put all the other ingredients except milk into a bowl and mix them very well.

3  Spread the mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a 2cm space at each short end 
       and the farther long side. Dampen all these edge spaces with water.

4  Starting with a short end, roll the pastry up quite firmly, pressing down at the end, then
       place the strudel on the lined baking tray and brush with milk. Use a sharp knife to
       make slashes straight across the top: for 4 people, slash the middle, then three
       evenly-spaced slashes each side of the middle (for 8 slices) or for 6 people, up to 
       5 slashes each side of the middle (for 12 slices). Brush lightly with the milk.

Half-size version, oven-ready, with Sunday cocktail

 5  Bake towards the top of the oven for around 35 minutes, until well browned. Use a
       very sharp knife to slice the strudel.

And ... carve!

Alternatives
As usual, substitutions are fine. A different nut, or selection of them, will work just as well; pecans or brazils especially, and could include a few pine nuts. Instead of apricots, dried cranberries would work, no chopping required, and a festive feel. I've not tried this with capers, but that might be nice. As long as there's a mix of nuts, cheese and a little fruit, it would be hard to go wrong.

Serving
For info, I like to serve with buttered baby potatoes and a vegetable such as broccoli, cauli or tenderstem in a parsley sauce (lazily made from granules in a drum, just add boiling water or, better still, the boiling water from the veg when they're done). Red or dry white wine both go well; as it's nuts and cheese, quite strong flavours, I'd choose red. A dry cider would match, too, or apple juice.

Wild Rice with Apricots and Coconut - Easy Main Dish or Side

What's sold as wild rice is, more usually, a mixture of long-grain rice and dark-skinned rarer rice-alike special grass seeds. It makes a dish more visually appealing, I think, although it does take much longer to cook than straight rice - about 45 minutes on the hob or an hour or so in a pre-heated slow cooker. It needs still to have a bit of bite when it's served.

This recipe would serve around 2-3 as a main course, or a good 4 as a side. Nothing complicated about it, and quantities could of course be reduced although cooking time would be about the same. Time to prepare is 15-20 minutes. Any leftovers are good at room temperature.

Wild Rice with Apricots and Coconut

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, peeled and fairly finely chopped
180g wild rice
8 dried soft ready-to-eat apricots, snipped to hazelnut size
20g desiccated coconut
400ml (approx) vegetarian stock
1 heaped tbsp cumin seeds (optional)

Method
1 Heat the oil in a medium to large pan.
2 Add the onion and fry gently for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
3 Add the rice and fry gently for 2 mins, stirring to coat with the oil.
4 Add the apricots, coconut, stock and cumin seeds and mix well.
5 Leave to simmer gently on the hob for about 45 mins (or according to packet
       instructions), stirring fairly often and adding a little more stock or water if it's 
       absorbed before the rice is ready.
(If using a slow cooker, tip the mixture in at stage 5 and leave for an hour or so until the rice has a chewable texture but still with bite. Stir from time to time.)

Variations
A handful of roasted peanuts or cashews could be added at stage 5, or coarsely chopped hazel nuts, perhaps instead of the cumin seeds. Herbs such as thyme or coriander could be added towards the end of cooking.

Accompaniments
If the rice is served to the side of the plate, vegetarian sausages or burgers would go well, as would, say, a fried chick pea patty or two or some falafel. A roasted half butternut squash would be good, filled with a little seasoned goat cheese and breadcrumbs - or indeed filled with the wild rice itself. Perhaps a glass of rich red, maybe Hungarian, too.