TEACHINNG fillo dough class #1. CHEESE STRUDEL (ROMANIAN=PLACINTA)

 Teaching people to cook easy and healthy food is one of my dreams for quite a while. I am preparing for this for few years and I am ready to teach few techniques, few dishes, that I master for years, mainly from my home cooking.

I know how to cook, looks like forever…… and coming to this BLESSED COUNTRY I realized how easy is here to make a meal. You can find anything you want, anytime of the year, any spice that you need, and any kitchen tool you ever dream… Just you need to know how and how easy is to master anything!

This is the second time I have a group in my house. These are my neighbors and I am teaching them how to deal with 'FILLO DOUGH" They were amazed how easy is to prepare a desert or a cheese pie with fillo dough, that they never seen in their kitchen.

When they came to my home for my class, I already prepared a cheese strudel ( we call it in Rumanian "PLACINTA") to have something to try and I get all the applause for it: delicious, stunning looking when you bring it to the table...very tasty... They all wanted to know how to make it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of Fillo Dough

1 lb Ricotta Cheese (Fat Free Optional)

1 lb Feta Cheese Crumbled

12 Eggs ( EggBeaten Optional) 6+6 ( for topping)

1-Tablespoon Caraway Seeds

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter

1lb spinach, blenched (optional)

Topping:

1 lb Sour Cream

6 Eggs

1. How to make CHEESE STRUDEL

DIRECTIONS:

Mix 1lb of Ricotta Cheese, Feta Cheese and 6 eggs. When mixed well add 1 tablespoon of Caraway seeds mix until blended.

Open Fillo Dough box:

Melt the 1 stick of unsalted butter in the microwave.

Brush 9 x 12 pan melted butter.

Place 3 or 4 Fillo Dough down on the bottom of the dish to make a solid base. Brush butter on the Fillo Dough. Place Fillo Dough on top and spread a large tablespoon full of mixture. 

Place Fillo Dough on top butter place another Fillo Dough spread cheese mixture.

Keep repeating until you get ½ of Fillo pack

Squish to make a roll on one side of the pan.

Now you are going to repeat to make another roll on the other side, which you squish again.

 Mix:

1 lb Sour Cream with

6 Eggs

Mix together then pour on top, all over the 2 rolls of fillo dough and cheese.

Turn on oven at 375 Degrees and bake the cheese strudel for about 1 hour.

The surface must be well baked, with beautiful shade of brown, and yellow. The stick "test" should be clean once you insert inside of the strudel.