Spiced Aubergine and Lentil Filo Pie

We're still riding the healthy-eating horse, and doing pretty well too, but one of the things I've really been missing is pastry. Big, fat, buttery pastry. Definitely one to avoid for the moment. BUT there's hope yet - thank heaven for filo! At about 100 calories a sheet it means a pie is still a pie, but one that won't make me as wide as I am tall. So I've been doing some experimenting, and this recipe is one of the results.

This crispy, flaky, spicy aubergine and lentil offering came out at under 250 calories per serving if made with the dreaded Fry-Light (I've stated oil in the recipe because I don't hate you all, should only add about 350 cals for the whole recipe though if you measure out the 3 tablespoons). Pretty good going, and it's damn tasty as well. It goes well with Middle Eastern-type accompaniments - a tabbouleh or a fattoush salad for example, but equally well with just some green leaves out of a bag if you can't be bothered. And a glass of red.

It's also vegan! Check the packet of the filo pastry just in case, but most brands I've seen are suitable for vegans, including many supermarket own-brands.

Serves 4 - don't forget to leave time for the filling to cool! 

What you need

1 large aubergine
1 400g tin cooked brown or puy lentils
As many sheets as you like of ready-made filo pastry - I used 6
2 medium sized onions (chopped)
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
thumb-sized nubbin of ginger (grated or just bunged through the garlic crusher)
1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 tbsp olive oil (or other weapon of choice)
2 tsps fennel seeds (plus extra to scatter over)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste

What to do

Turn the oven on at 180 degrees. Chop the aubergine into smallish cubes, toss in 1 tablespoon of the oil and transfer to a baking dish. Put in the oven to roast while you carry on with the rest - it will want to be in for about 20 minutes, but keep checking it.

Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan, and add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Put the lid on so that it all just sweats together rather than browning too  much.

Grab a frying pan and put on a high heat. Add the fennel seed to the dry pan and dry-fry them for a couple of minutes until they're brown and smelling all fennel-y, then add to the onion and spice mixture.

Once the onions etc. are translucent and starting to brown in places, add the chopped tomatoes and the lentils, having poured off the liquid from the lentil tin. Your aubergine will probably be roasted enough now, so slap that in too. Add the brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper.

Allow the pie filling to cook down over a medium heat until it's thickened. You can mainly just go off and do something else at this point, just come back every once in a while to give it a bit of a stir. It will probably take about 15 minutes for the mixture to reduce to pie-filling consistency. Once it's done, the filling will need some time to cool down. If you add the hot filling straight to the pastry, it will just go into a soggy mush. Spread it out on something so it cools quicker and it should be alright after about half an hour.

Grab a shallow baking dish and layer up 3 (or more if you like) sheets of filo pastry, brushing each sheet with some of your remaining tablespoon of olive oil (or spray with you-know-what). Spread over the filling, then finish up with a further 3+ layers of filo to form the top layer, still brushing each one with oil.

Scatter some fennel seeds over the top, and put in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Asparagus Tarts

Asparagus is in season!! Although who knows, it's not really been springtime yet (not in Huddersfield anyway) so for all we know it might all be a trick and they've brought last year's lot out of the freezer.

These tarts are very loosely based on a recipe from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries II, which you can buy here.

They look quite pretty for how ridiculously easy they are - they use ready made puff pastry so minimal effort - ideal with a salad as a summery dinner.

Makes 4 tarts

What you need

A bunch of slender asparagus spears - 8 spears for 4 tarts
a 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
100ml double cream
a few sprigs lemon thyme - leaves only
40g grated mature cheddar or 'parmesan'
1 egg, beaten

What to do

First, cook the asparagus. Snap off any woody stems and get some lightly salted water boiling. Plop the asparagus in - they should only need 5 minutes. Have a bowl of icy cold water waiting to immediately plunge the asparagus into once you've drained them - this will keep them nice and fresh and green-looking! It's of course fine if they sit there getting cold as they'll go back in the oven anyway.

Unroll the puff pastry from the packet, and slice vertically into 4. Score a border about a centimetre away from the edge, without cutting all the way through. Egg wash it if you like, I never do - I always feel like it's a bit of a waste of an egg! Lay the pastry out on a non-stick baking tray and put in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, just to start crisping the pastry before you add your filling.

While that's in the oven, stir together the cream, grated cheese and lemon thyme leaves, with salt and pepper to season.

When your pastry comes out from its first stint in the oven, lay the asparagus spears on - I did two per tart. Spoon over the cheese mixture, distributing evenly between the tarts. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, until the filling is starting to brown and the pastry is crisp.

Serve and enjoy!

Aubergine and Feta Tart

I'm afraid this is the complete antithesis of health, involving copious amounts of cheese, oil and pastry, so if you're on a January health kick, STEP AWAY.

However, for those of us who appreciate a bit of winter padding to stave off the cold, this tart is about the most delicious thing you can do with an aubergine. 

I adapted this from a recipe in Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries II (which came free in the paper - good old Observer) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007256035 - and it normally serves four people, but because me and my boyfriend are pigs, we just ate the lot between the two of us. Judge us or follow suit, your choice. Enjoy!

Veggie feta sourcing tip - check the label just to make sure, as supermarkets change suppliers and recipes all the time, but Sainsburys Taste the Difference feta is veggie, as are Tesco and Co-op own brand.

What you need

3 medium aubergines

150g vegetarian feta 

few sprigs of fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic

1 320g sheet puff pastry (bought or, if you think you're 'ard enough - I'm not - home made)

What to do

First of all, pop two of the aubergines into the oven at 200C. They want to be left whole, but puncture them with a fork first or they might explode all over your oven, and nobody wants that. Leave them in for half an hour until they're soft and crinkly, then take out and let them cool down enough to handle.

Meanwhile, roll out the pastry onto a baking tray and score it with a knife a couple of inches from the edge - like a massive vol au vent. Put the pastry in on the shelf below the aubergine until brown - normally about 15 - 20 minutes. When done, leave to cool (don't worry about having a kitchen full of cold pastry and cold aubergines, it's all going to go back in the oven in a bit) then flatten the middle bit where you haven't scored with the nearest utensil to hand.

Crush the 2 cloves of garlic, fry off briefly until light brown, then take off the heat. The two cooked aubergines should now be cool enough to handle, and the skin should come off really easily with your hands. Cut the flesh into chunks, add with the garlic into a bowl, and mash it with a fork (or a stick blender if you have such a thing) into a pâté-like consistency.

Slice your remaining aubergine quite thinly and fry the slices until golden, which unless you have a giant pan will probably have to be in batches. Aubergines are infamous for soaking up a ridiculous amount of oil, and my way round this is to brush the actual slices with oil rather than oiling the pan. 

Now, assemble your tart! Spread the garlicky aubergine paste over the flattened middle bit of pastry, then lay on your aubergine slices in a visually pleasing manner. Crumble over the feta and add the sprigs of thyme.

Pop it in the oven (still at 200) for 10 - 15 more minutes, enough for the feta to soften and brown a bit.

Done! Hope you give it a try!