Vegan Phyllo Pastry Filled with Soy Flakes, Pomegranate, Almonds, and Thyme
I love the changing of the seasons, and especially the transition from summer to autumn.
There is something magical to me about it still being warm outside, but the oppressive humidity is gone, and the evenings are becoming slightly chilly.
(Anyone who rides a scooter can feel this quite well.)
You can still go to the beach to watch the sunset.
There are still beautiful summer fruits in the markets.
But there is a different atmosphere in the air.
Something new and magical is slowly creeping in.
I saw the squills blooming. How exciting that always is.
I'm sitting here now writing this post at the dining table, all the windows are open, and a pleasant breeze, characteristic only of this season at the end of summer and the beginning of the Tishrei holidays, is coming into the house.
For the holiday eve, we are invited to Amir's aunt's house, where we will sit in the beautiful garden under the large trees and start the new year with a variety of delicious foods typical of the holiday.
I intend to bring a vegan phyllo pastry stuffed with soy flakes and pomegranates. A sweet, impressive, and festive dish that doesn't require a whole lot of work.
Imagine a warm pastry made of layers upon layers of very thin, crispy dough with a sweet filling of soy flakes, pomegranate, almonds, and thyme.
A taste of autumn.
A taste of Israel.
A bit about vegan phyllo pastry
I buy the phyllo leaves and thaw them in advance (I use Maadanot phyllo leaves, who also participated in preparing this post).
I especially like phyllo leaves because they contain only flour and water and very little fat (certainly no margarine), which means I can control the amount of fat myself.
I prepared the filling from soy flakes that I didn't soak at all—I simply added them to the sauce I prepared in advance, and they absorbed all the flavors.
The base of the sauce is grated carrot and crushed tomatoes. You can replace the carrot with any hard vegetable you like, such as beet, kohlrabi, or even potato.
The crushed tomatoes can be replaced with eggplant salad, vegan yogurt, or any sauce you like.
To provide a pleasant tartness, I used a tablespoon of sumac, and to give a gentle spiciness, I used a teaspoon of hot paprika.
You can replace the sumac with lemon and the hot paprika with sweet red paprika.
To give the sauce a unique pomegranate flavor, I used pomegranate concentrate, which is a syrup that can be found in the sauce section of the supermarket, and to balance the typical acidity of the pomegranate, I added a bit of silan (date syrup). After all, we want it to be a sweet year.
Nutritional values by Clinical Dietitian and Fitness Trainer Noam Bachar:
One slice out of 10 of vegan phyllo pastry weighing 110g will contain:
- 137 calories
- 7.3g protein
- 16.5g carbohydrates
- 6g fat
Have leftover phyllo dough? How about cinnamon cookies?
Vegan Phyllo Pastry
Filled with soy flakes, pomegranate, almonds, and thyme
Ingredients
- 5 sheets of Maadanot phyllo dough 150g
For the filling
- 1/4 cup olive oil 50ml
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 grated carrot
- 200 g crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- a little salt
- 1 level tbsp sumac spice
- 1 cup soy flakes 100g
- 1 tbsp pomegranate concentrate
- 1 tbsp silan (date syrup)
- several thyme leaves without the stems
- 1 tbsp blanched sliced almonds
Instructions
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Thaw the phyllo sheets according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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Sauté the onion with a little olive oil until it becomes translucent.
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Add the grated carrot and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
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Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two while stirring.
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Add the sumac, paprika, and salt and stir.
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Add the crushed tomatoes and stir.
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Add the soy flakes and stir well until all the sauce is incorporated and absorbed by the soy.
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Add the silan, pomegranate concentrate, and a few of the thyme leaves, stir well, and remove from heat.
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Preheat the oven to medium heat (180°C).
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Open the package of Maadanot phyllo dough.
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Spread the phyllo dough on the work surface and grease the top sheet with a brush.
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Using your hands, take the phyllo sheet and line a round baking pan, with the edges of the dough wrapping over the edges of the pan.
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Place another layer of phyllo sheet and grease it well too.
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Place one-third of the filling on the phyllo sheets.
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Sprinkle some almonds and a few thyme leaves.
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Place another layer of phyllo sheet, press lightly with your hands, and finally grease with olive oil.
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Repeat the process until no more filling remains.
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Grease the last phyllo sheet well and fold the edges of the phyllo inward, ensuring each sheet is well greased.
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Brush on a bit of pomegranate concentrate diluted with a little water and sprinkle some almonds on top.
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Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the pastry browns.
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Before serving, brush with a little pomegranate concentrate and sprinkle with some almonds, thyme, and pomegranate seeds.
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After cooling, the pastry will firm up a bit and be easier to cut.
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Can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
