Vegan Moroccan Tagine Flaky Filo Pies

Gosh yesterday it was proper hot sunshine weather. A sunny Sunday when most families and friends decided on impulse to have a BBQ, well my family were no exception either.  Coming from a South Asian background, the BBQ menu was Anglo-Indian.  There was meaty burgers, tandoori chicken, spiced fish fillets, shammi kebabs and for the veg head like me - vegetable samosa with yogurt mint chutney and salsa salad.  I also brought along my own small contribution, Mango Trifle (to be showcased later in a different blog post), as well as these Moroccan Tagine Flaky Filo Twist pastry pies which happen to be vegan.  I was really glad of the restful Sunday, only thing missing was that glass of red wine.   

These  Moroccan Tagine Flaky Filo pastry pies were served with spiced couscous and a little harissa oil. I know I grumbled a little while ago, when I made these very same filling in a hot water crust pastry, but I have to say they worked pretty well in filo pastry.  The flaky filo pastry is a lot more delicate and the flavours inside really complimented the lightness of the filo pastry, unlike the the sturdiness of the hot water crust pastry.  

I am sharing one of these vegan Moroccan Tajine Flaky Filo Twist Pies with My Legume Love Affair 61 as it contains chickpeas. MLLA as it is known to its fans, is a popular, legume-centred event was created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, and is now run by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen. This July it is being hosted by Arpana of My Diverse Kitchen.

Vegan Moroccan Tagine Filo Twist Pies
Makes 12 individual filo pastry pies
You will need a 12 holed deep muffin tin
Ingredients
1 large aubergine, cut into even sized cubes
½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into even sized cubes
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion
1 small red onion
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds (1 teaspoon ground)
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground
1 – 2 red chillies, finely chopped (de-seed if you wish)
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato puree
60g dried apricots, cut in half
20g raisins
80g black olives, pitted and sliced
1 large floury potato, cut into even sized cubes
About 4 carrots, thickly sliced
1 x 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
A large bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Packet of filo pastry up to 24 or more
Olive oil for coating
Method
In a roasting tray, add aubergine cubes and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast in oven for 20 – 30 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool
In another roasting tin, add butternut squash cutes and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast in oven for 20 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside to cool.Heat the remaining oil in a wide pan. Add the onion, cumin, coriander and chilli and cook gently for 2 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, apricots and raisins. Continue to cook for 40 - 45 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the olives, chickpeas, aubergine and butternut squash cubes, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken a little more, then stir in coriander and season to taste. Set aside to cool.
I am a bit rubbish at explaining how to fill the filo pastry. So please look at the photographs. 

Lightly oil the base of the muffin tin holes.  Then begin lining the individual muffin hole with individual filo pastry sheets. Allow the filo pastry to flop over the sides. Brush each layer gently with olive oil keep doing this until you have about 2 to 3 layers in each muffin mould. Now gently spoon in the Moroccan Tajine filling evenly into each mould (You may have some filling left over. Just eat as a cooks treat! ). Fill right to the top, smoothing gently as you go so that it is relatively compact. 

Gently pull up and twist the filo pastry that is flopping to the sides, coat generously with olive oil. Don't worry if the top is a little uneven, the ruffled effect adds a bit of character to the pie.

Bake in oven at Gas mark 4 for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.