Time, Therapy and shop bought Filo

A few days ago I was looking through my old journals, looking at where I was when I was young - many moon's ago when the goddess first visited me - and marvelling at how so much had changed with me, and how that was reflected in my external world. When I was about 14 or so, every year when the Orchard was laden with apples - the request came thick and fast for Urs's Apple strudel. A recipe I had taken from my Grandmother's old recipe book that came from with ready packaged flour - a remarkable new convenience in my Grannie's day - so new that special recipe booklets came as standard -although to be fair this was when she moved from India to England.

Many moons ago before the Moonopause arrived, there was a time in a land not unlike our own, when Phyllo/Filo pastry was not readily available in the freezer section of every supermarket. In those days there was no such thing as a packet mix for shortcrust pastry in every local corner shop – in fact a time before convenience, instant gratification, but a slower time when pastry was created and mixed by hand by most of us.

My Granny was alive and well in those times with her repository of cookery pamphlets, recipes and an old fashioned book of family recipes. She grew up in Burma, and moved to India during the war (WWII) where flour was fetched from the local mill in a ‘gunny sack’ – and wheat flour was a rarity; Gram flour (chickpea), lentil or rice flour were more normal. Only with a move to England after the war in the late 1940’s and the advent of the 1950’s brought the  ‘packet’ of flour came with a special recipe booklet for this already sifted flour – this was modern convenience ! Washing – well that was still done by hand and mangle and the good clean fresh air for drying.

The new ‘sifted plain flour ‘ or ‘self raising flour’ came in packets, and with them came those little booklets of recipes to make using this new modern convenient packaged flour. It was from one of these booklets that the recipe for homemade apple strudel came – with homemade Filo pastry. To look at modern recipes from Greece for Phyllo pastry one can see that olive oil is an integral part of the process, but in the 1950’s olive oil could only be bought in the chemist in small amounts for medicinal purposes.

I was at home listening to my cooking music of those times - a little different - http://youtu.be/Ny04UI3IkPI - Grendel by Marillion. I really loved that kind of epic soft rock music - a retelling of the legend of Beowolf.

My curiousity was piqued - and there was no chance of a visit to the shops - I decided to make my own Filoesque pastry from this old recipe. Apple strudel with a few tweaks for my adult tastes. I did a little research on Greek recipes for Filo, but and I may yet try them, although all seem to involve olive oil and very hot water.

Now having made the pastry there is something therapeutic and comforting about making my own filo. So much so that I'll be making it again this week.

This is from http://www.greekfood.about.com/

APPLE STRUDEL - HOMEMADE FILO PASTRY

Preheat oven to 375F / 190C / Gas mark 5


Ingredients

Pastry:
8 oz white spelt (all purpose / plain flour)
1 tspn salt
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons hot water (from tap not boiling)
2 oz melted butter.

FILLING

2lb cooking apples, 4 oz porridge oats (if you are not wheat free, use breadcrumbs)

2-3oz melted butter

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

4 oz dark brown sugar (use muscovado for darker flavour)

½ tablespoon mixed spice (I use cinnamon, nutmeg and hint of ginger)

4 oz sultanas ( I used raisins)

METHOD

Note – you can pre-soak the raisins or sultanas in a little rum if you want a boozy kick. I served with a rum and raisin laced cream.

PASTRY

1. Put flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add in the beaten egg, 1 oz of the melted butter and the hot water.

2. Mix in the flour into the centre using circular motions, dry into wet until a dough forms.

3. Tip dough onto a lightly floured board and knead a little until a smooth dough/paste is formed.

4. Put aside for 20 minutes and allow to rest in a cool place, while you make the filling.

FILLING

5. Peel, core and slice the apples and mix with oats, sugar, sultanas, and lemon zest. Finally add the lemon juice and mix together and allow to stand for a few minutes to really bond the flavours.

6. Add more oats if you there is still too much juice add more oats to absorb the juice. You  don’t want the pastry to get soggy.

7. Flour the board a little and roll out until very thin into a long oblong. I use a very long rolling pin and turn and flip at first. Always ensure the board is lightly floured so the pastry doesn’t stick.

 The more sophisticated among you can use a pasta machine to get the thickness you require. I don’t need it to be perfect, just scrumptious. I usually cut the dough in half and dough each separately and roll until I have an oblong.

5. Brush the rolled out pastry with melted butter and then put a line of the filling down the centre.

6. Roll up and place on greased baking tray and brush all over with melted butter. If you have holes from the apples apply the pastry trimmings with melted butter to gain the filo flakiness.

I usually form it into a crescent, and if I am doing it in 2 halfs I use my large enamel pan to get both onto it.

Bake 30-35 minutes.

I have a fan oven so I usually look at 26 minutes.

Leave to cool a little and serve with Rum and spiced raisin cream as I did or with homemade custard or even if you are feeling energetic - rum and raisin ice cream.



Tesco's Rum & Raisin Cream



You can do a little lemon water icing over the top if you want to add sweetness.

Another old favourite follow on music - http://youtu.be/fBkvcQEGq9k