Savory strudel packed with startling flavor

The image of the strudel is due for revision, to make clear how versatile these pastries can be, savory or sweet.

This fennel and chorizo strudel dish has enough unexpected flavor to send taste buds into overdrive. It’s an intensely savory and visually appealing alternative to everyday meat and potatoes. Robust ingredients and crispy, buttery phyllo dough make for a delicious and hearty dish that can stand alone or appear with a number of sides, from mixed greens to fruit salad.

If fennel is new to you, get ready for a unique taste sensation. This aromatic plant is used in many culinary creations, whether raw, cooked or as garnish. It is often incorrectly referred to as “sweet anise” because of its licoricelike flavor, but it is far more delicate than it gets credit for, especially when cooked.

Pale green, with a broad, rounded base and celery-type stalks topped off with wispy sprigs of greenery, fennel can be found in the produce section of the grocery store near the greens.

Although fennel lends a subtle flavor to the strudels, chorizo packs a serious punch. A spicy, coarsely ground sausage that is popular in both Mexican and Spanish cuisines, chorizo is made from either fresh or smoked pork, seasoned with garlic, chili powder and other spices. You don’t need to use a lot of this sausage to add a bold note to recipes. Look for fresh chorizo in the refrigerated meat section of the grocery store.

When preparing the strudels, you’ll discover that they come together quickly. The key is to keep the phyllo dough refrigerated until the filling is made and the strudels are ready for assembly; once assembly begins, keep the unused sheets of phyllo wrapped well in plastic wrap. Both steps will help prevent the phyllo sheets from drying out and becoming brittle.

To save time, prepare the strudels in advance the morning you are using them, wrap well, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

Michael Skibitcky, lecturing instructor in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America, offers these suggestions:

•Peel any strings on the outer portions of fennel.

•Cook fennel until it is tender, but not overdone.

•Chill the fennel and chorizo mixture as quickly as possible before placing it into the phyllo dough to achieve the best texture.

The recipe is from The Culinary Institute of America’s “Gourmet Meals in Minutes” cookbook (Lebhar-Freidman 2004, $40).

Fennel and Chorizo Strudels

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 shallots, minced

4 ounces chorizo, sliced thin, skin on

1 2/3 cups diced fennel bulb

1 1/2 tablespoons minced tarragon leaves

1/2 tablespoon minced chives

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until translucent. Add the chorizo, lower the heat and allow some of the fat to render. Add the fennel and gently cook until tender. (You may need to reduce the heat slightly so that the chorizo and fennel don’t burn.)

Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Add the tarragon leaves, chives, egg, and enough bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup) to lightly bind the ingredients. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

To assemble each strudel, lay a sheet of phyllo dough onto a clean work surface. Place the longer edge of the dough parallel to the edge of the work surface. As you work, keep the unused sheets of phyllo covered with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.

Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle it with about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of bread crumbs. Top with another sheet of phyllo dough and repeat the butter and bread crumb process until you form a stack of 4 phyllo sheets.

Mound half of the chorizo-fennel mixture along the bottom of the phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border at the edges. Beginning with the bottom edge, carefully roll up the dough and filling, and seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make a second strudel. Transfer the strudels seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with the remaining melted butter, and make shallow cuts on a bias in the surface of the dough to indicate 8 slices.

Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Slice and serve immediately.

Yield: Eight 2-slice servings

Nutrition information per 3-ounce slice: 330 calories, 24 grams fat (65 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 940 milligrams sodium.