Summer Filo Pie

Summer Filo Pie

This one is a proper showstopper and we absolutely love making it in the summer when the veg is at its best. Roasted red pepper, aubergine and onion all spiced up with cumin and coriander, then folded into crispy, golden filo pastry. It's got that brilliant contrast of textures, flaky and crunchy on the outside, soft and smoky on the inside, and the chickpeas make it properly filling. We've made this for dinner parties and everyone always asks for the recipe. If you've got 85 minutes and want to genuinely impress yourself (and anyone else at the table), make this tonight.

Cook: 85 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Turn oven down to 170°C fan (after step 2)
  • Large baking tray
  • 20cm cake tin greased with olive oil
  • Blender
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Aluminium foil
  • Soak cashews (timing not specified in recipe)

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 small bulb of garlic
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 15g fresh parsley
  • 1 x 400g can chickpeas
  • 150g cashews
  • 150ml plant-based milk
  • 3 tbsp Nooch
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 100g sundried tomatoes
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 5 sheets of filo pastry
  • 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
  • 50g rocket or watercress
  • 50g plant-based feta
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Method

1

Prep the veg

  • Deseed and slice the red pepper
  • Peel and slice the onion
  • Chop the aubergine into 2cm chunks
  • Juice half the lemon and slice the other half into wedges
  • Pick the parsley leaves and roughly chop
  • Drain the chickpeas
2

Roast the veg

  • Place the pepper, onion and aubergine on the baking tray
  • Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the ground cumin, coriander and a pinch of salt and pepper
  • Cut off the top of the garlic bulb, exposing the cloves
  • Drizzle the top with olive oil and and wrap in foil, scrunching the top to close
  • Place the foil parcel on the tray
  • Place the tray in the oven for 25 minutes until everything is cooked
  • Squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and mix through the veg
  • Turn the oven down to 170C fan
3

Make the cashew cream

  • Drain the cashews and place in a blender with the milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, harissa and sundried tomatoes
  • Blend until smooth and creamy then taste to season with salt and pepper
  • In a large bowl, add the roasted veg, chickpeas and parsley
  • Pour in the cashews cream, mixing to coat the veg
4

Assemble the pie

  • Grease the base and sides of the cake tin with olive oil
  • Brush a sheet of filo with the oil and lay in the base of the tin, leaving the sides to overhang
  • Repeat with the remaining sheets, brushing oil between each one and layering in the opposite direction so the sides of the tin are covered with pastry
  • Spoon the filling into the base then scrunch up the overhanging filo pastry around the sides
  • Put the tin on a baking tray and place in the oven for 25 minutes until the top of the pastry is golden and the filling has set
  • Carefully remove the ring of the cake tin and return the pie to the oven for 10 minutes to crisp up the sides of the pastry
  • leave to stand for 10 minutes to set before serving
5

Finish and serve

  • Top the pie with rocket leaves and crumble over the feta
  • Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate mollases to serve

Tips & Variations

  • Don't skip the seasoning on the veg: We always make sure every piece of aubergine and pepper gets a good coating of cumin, coriander, salt and pepper before roasting. Under-seasoned veg means a flat pie, and nobody wants that.
  • Keep your filo covered: Filo dries out fast, so keep the sheets you're not using under a damp tea towel while you work. It makes such a difference to getting those gorgeous layers.
  • Add some crunch on top: We love scattering a few extra sesame seeds or even some pine nuts over the top layer of filo before it goes in the oven. Gives it a lovely nutty finish.

Why This Works

The trick is really getting some colour on the roasted veg before it goes into the pie. Don't rush that step, because that caramelisation is where all the flavour lives. The lemon juice added at the end cuts through the richness of the spiced veg and the filo, and it lifts the whole thing beautifully.