Tiny Phyllo Tricks: How To Make Party-Worthy Mushroom Strudel Without Tears

I am not proud of this, but I’m really just a one-trick pony in the language department. Sure, after four years of high school French and the shortest exchange program ever, I can get by in Paris and because of this, can occasionally make sense of written Italian or Spanish, but Czech? German? I couldn’t be further from making heads or tails of it.

At-a-glance

As you might expect, when Alex and I found ourselves at some untouristy eateries in Vienna — without waitstaff who catered to the language-deficient or menus reprinted in 16 languages — a fair amount of comedy followed. After long walks on a hot day, we collapsed at a café and asked for “iced coffees,” forgetting that “Eis” in German means “ice cream.” We were served a tall coffee loaded with cream, whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla gelato. I wish all language errors tasted this good.

Trying to balance the heavy dishes of Central Europe, I ordered what I hoped would be a light vegetable strudel: flaky, warm and crisp at the edges. Instead I received a dense block of rice with a few flecks of carrot and parsnip, wrapped in phyllo and drowned in a creamy herb sauce. Still — it paired well with my Eis Kaffee.

That disappointment didn’t stop me wanting to make a vegetable strudel at home. When I found a wild mushroom strudel recipe on Leite’s Culinaria, I was eager to try it — and promptly forgot my justified Fear of Phyllo. Here’s a photo of my first attempt, which was doomed from the start.

I quickly realized the recipe’s suggested four burrito-shaped strudels were not going to happen for me. Instead, I adapted a technique I’d seen elsewhere: work with one phyllo sheet at a time, fold it into quarters and roll the filling into a small “flag”-style package. The result is a neat finger food and far fewer gray hairs (and much less cursing in the living room).

With a big green salad, these little strudels made a terrific meal and I’m eager to make them again for a party. If you have phyllo tips, send them my way — I’ll need the courage to attempt bigger, more elaborate versions someday.

Mushroom Strudel

My mother-in-law, who knows phyllo well, always makes extra pastries and keeps them frozen until needed — a great planning-ahead party tip.

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment and clear a large work surface for two full phyllo sheets, your egg wash, Parmesan and filling — you’ll appreciate the space.

Make the filling: Clean mushrooms of dust and sand; wash and trim if necessary. Cook the onion in butter until soft, then add the mushrooms with nutmeg if using. Sauté for 5–7 minutes until the mushrooms release liquid and it partially evaporates. Add sherry and cook over low heat for 2–3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Stir in the flour, herbs, salt and pepper, and allow the mixture to cool — it will remain moist.

To make small, triangular strudel

Take one phyllo sheet at a time from the package and keep remaining sheets covered with plastic and a damp towel so they don’t dry out. Brush one lengthwise half of the sheet with butter. Fold the unbuttered side over the buttered side, smoothing but not fretting over small wrinkles. Brush one half of this long column with butter again, then fold the unbuttered side over it once more; you’ll end up with a long column.

Dollop a spoonful of mushroom filling near the end, sprinkle a teaspoon of Parmesan over it, and begin folding the bottom corner over the filling in a triangular flag-fold until it meets the opposite edge. Place each triangle seam-side down on the parchment-lined sheet, brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake the small triangles in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

To make four larger strudel

Take three phyllo sheets at a time and keep the remainder covered with plastic and a damp towel. Brush one sheet on both sides with melted butter, place it atop another sheet, and cover with a third to form a triple-layer stack. Repeat to make four stacks.

Place one stack on the parchment-lined sheet, brush the edges with beaten egg, put one-fourth of the mushroom filling in the center and add 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Fold in the sides, then fold repeatedly into a neat parcel. Brush with beaten egg, invert carefully so the seam is on the bottom, brush again, and repeat to form the remaining strudels.

Bake the larger strudels in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Practical Tips