Mango & Ricotta Strudel

Strudel is a great use for the few sheets of filo that remain after making an appetizer or meal. In fact, this entire dessert was created using leftovers! I had extra filo sheets from the Kale and Feta Pie, some homemade ricotta in the fridge, and half a tin of coconut milk that I had stuck in the freezer! Despite its humble beginnings, the strudel turned out beautifully!

Adding a little coconut milk to the ricotta made it creamy and gave it a lovely, subtle flavour, which paired perfectly with the mango. However, any available fruit could be used, including canned. Milk could also be substituted for the coconut milk. There is very little sugar in this recipe, so the strudel has a nice, gentle sweetness (but still tastes like dessert!).

6-8 sheets filo pastry

1 c. ricotta cheese (or half a batch of homemade)

4 tbsp. coconut milk

1 tbsp. sugar, plus 1 tsp. for sprinkling the layers

1 mango, peeled and diced
1 - 2 tbsp. canola oil

 

Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F. Combine the ricotta, coconut milk and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

 

Prepare the filo by placing one sheet on a piece of parchment paper lining a baking sheet. Drizzle the filo with a little canola oil and pat it with your hands to transfer the oil around then sprinkle with some sugar. (Alternatively, you can brush the layers with oil, but it's more time consuming and fiddley, and speed is the key to filo so it doesn't dry out.) Place another sheet on top, pat with oil, sprinkle with sugar and repeat for the remaining sheets.

Place the ricotta slightly off centre, leaving a 2" border on the top and bottom. Top with diced mangoes. Fold in the top and bottom borders. Fold the shorter side over the filling, then the longer side, tucking it under the bundle. Pat with a little oil and bake for 30 minutes, rotating the tray midway.