Savoury Spiced Baklava
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Rather than having the more traditional sweet filling, this baklava has a spiced vegetarian filling. It can be served as a main course at Easter, Christmas or Thanksgiving. It’s also excellent if you want to serve as an alternate accompaniment. It can also easily be made vegan by substituting the Feta cheese with a vegan alternative.
Prep time 15 minutes/Cook time 85 minutes/Serves 6
Ingredients:
1kg (2 ¼ lbs) butternut squash, peeled and diced
olive oil
400g (14 oz) tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp harissa
3 onions, finely chopped
1 leek, white part chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
180g (6 ½ oz) pack cooked and peeled chestnuts, chopped
150g (5 1/3 oz) soft white breadcrumbs
a handful coriander, finely chopped
50g (1 ¾ oz) sultanas
100ml (2/5 cup) vegetable stock, hot
2 x 270g (9 ½ oz) packs filo pastry
75g (2 2/3 oz) butter, melted
200g (7 oz) feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp black onion (kalonji) seeds or black sesame seeds
runny honey, to drizzle
a pinch dried chilli flakes, (optional)
sea salt flakes
Method:
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan/400°F/gas mark 6). Place the squash pieces on a baking tray (or in a roasting tin) with 2 tbsp of olive oil and lots of seasoning, then toss. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for 10 minutes then add the chickpeas, cumin seeds and harissa, stir everything and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the squash is just tender. Cool, then use a fork to mash half the chickpeas. Turn the oven down to 180°C (160°C Fan/375°F/gas mark 4).
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Cook the onions, leek and garlic for 10-15 minutes or until softened. Put half this mixture in a bowl with the chestnuts, breadcrumbs, coriander, sultanas and stock, mix well and season. Stir the remaining onion and leek mixture into the squash and chickpea mix.
To assemble the baklava, trim the filo sheets so they fit neatly into a deep 25cm x 35cm (10 x 14 in) baking dish or roasting tin. Brush the dish with melted butter. Brush four of the filo sheets with melted butter then layer up in the bottom of the dish. Add 1/3 of the squash mix, 1/3 of the chestnut mix and 1/3 of the crumbled feta. Top with another 4 sheets of buttered filo and add another 1/3 of each mix. Top with another 4 sheets, then the remaining mixtures, then finish with a final layer of 4 buttered sheets.
Cut a classic bakalava pattern into the pastry all the way through to the bottom layer (see picture). Sprinkle with the onion seeds then transfer to your oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the baklava is deep golden and crisp. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin.
Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with chilli flakes and sea salt flakes before serving the wedges.
