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Visiting an African wilderness is a deeply personal experience for any traveller. At Makweti, we aim to make every aspect of your stay special – even the food – and with a wonderful repertoire of mouthwatering vegetarian dishes, we help all our guests to celebrate their personal dietary preferences. 

Personally yours, to try at home, this butternut and lentil strudel in crispy, golden phyllo pastry will never disappoint.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized Butternut, cut in half – about 750g
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp ground Cumin 
• 1 ½ tsp ground Coriander
• 1 ¼ cup Brown Lentils, cooked
• 1 ½ chopped Red Onion, lightly fried
• 1 Tbsp chopped Coriander
• Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
• 2 sheets Phyllo Pastry
• 2Tbsp Butter, melted

Method

1. Microwave the butternut on high for 9-10 minutes until cooked through. You should find that it can be easily pierced with a knife.
2. Drizzle the butternut with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and coat with the spices and herbs, inside an oven-safe dish. Place the dish with the butternut onto a baking sheet covered with a double layer of tinfoil. Cook for a further 15 minutes with the lid on. Once tenderly cooked through, remove the butternut from the dish and cook for 1-2 minutes at 180C in the oven, until beautifully roasted golden-brown.
3. Using a mixing bowl, add your cooked lentils, fried red onion and rough chunks of the roasted butternut. Stir through the chopped coriander and season well with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon and spread the butternut mix onto the buttered phyllo sheets. Roll the phyllo pastry with butternut mix, forming a round pastry ‘log’.
5. Lift onto an oiled baking tray, and brush with melted butter. Bake for 20min, or until golden brown.

Serve with a side salad of greens with pine nuts, and shards of parmesan cheese, with a drizzle of olive oil and a wedge of fresh lemon to squeeze over the greens.

~Food photography by: Ross Wilson Foto (https://www.rosswilsonfoto.com/)