The combination of aubergines and peppers is wonderful. Here umami flavour is added by the inclusion of pickled walnuts.
Ingredients
- 2 globe aubergines, trimmed and cut in bite size chunks
- 2 bell peppers, trimmed and roughly chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil, approx. 30ml
- ¼ tsp each of ground cumin, coriander and paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves in their skins
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 3 whole pickled walnuts sliced
- 5 sheets of filo pastry measuring approx. 35 x 47cm
- 150g feta cheese
- 100g cream cheese
- 150g mascarpone
- 50g parmesan, grated
- ½ lemon, zest only
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 0 C.
Put the chopped aubergines and peppers in a baking tray, sprinkle with the spices, oregano and a generous pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with some of the olive oil and scatter the thyme sprigs amongst the vegetables. Stir well to coat. Put the garlic cloves in their skins in a piece of kitchen foil, drizzle with some olive oil and wrap. Place them in a corner of the baking tin and roast for 35 minutes.
Line a flat baking tin with some kitchen paper. Lay the first sheet of filo and brush with a little olive oil. Repeat with the rest. Fold over 1cm of the filo all around to create a border. Brush it with a little more oil to keep in place.
In a bowl, mix half the feta cheese, cream cheese and half the grated parmesan. Use a fork to mix well and season with some black pepper and the lemon zest. Use a spatula to spread the cheese mix all over the filo base. Peel and slice the garlic cloves and slice the pickled walnuts. Scatter over the cheese base and top with the aubergines and peppers. Crumble the remaining feta over everything and sprinkle with the reserved parmesan. Bake until the filo is golden brown, approx. 25-30 minutes.
Serve with some dressed leaves with a handful of toasted, crushed walnuts.