Didn’t I tell you my next posts would be about filo pastry? Well, this is going to be the last one for now – I used my last sheets to make these savoury rolls filled with beetroots and carrots. Again, a 100% vegan recipe.Why vegan, you might ask. Well, I'm not taking part in Veganuary (to be honest, I only read about it yesterday - a great idea!). But I've got a vegan challenge of my own: my husband who after three years of vegetarianism told me he'd like to eat only vegan from now on - and gave me an inspiring cookbook, the Vegan Love Story. And I am inspired :)
The filling combines carrots and beetroots with lots of garlic and herbs, plus nutmeg, cinnamon and ras el hanout, a mixture of spices used in Northern Africa. A total winner!
This is what you need to make 6 rolls, or just enough for 3 eaters served with an accompaniment or for 2 served just with a salad:
- 6 A4-sized sheets of filo pastry
For the filling:
- 1 large beetroot, finely chopped (or grated)
- 2 small carrots or 1 large, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 3 Tbsp
- 1tsp ras el hanout
- 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- a handful of chopped parsley and mint (or other herbs of your liking)
For the brush:
- 20g vegan margarine
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp almond cream
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
Start with the filling: heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and beetroots, and stir and fry for about 5 minutes. Then add the spices and the cream and a bit of water if needed. Cover and let simmer about 5 more minutes. If the vegetables are really finely chopped, they get tender very quickly. Remove from heat.
In the meantime, make the brush: just combine all ingredients in a saucepan and warm up until the margarine has melted.
To make these rolls, I cut each A4-sized filo pastry sheet in two. I brushed the half of the small sheets with the brushing mixture and placed about 2 Tbsp of filling in the middle of each brushed sheet. Then I folded carefully into a 7cm long, 4cm wide roll. Then I wrapped each roll into a non-brushed filo sheet. This way, the rolls held together perfectly!
Bake in a preheated oven (200C) for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
To go with, I served some quinoa with grated lemon zest and a lot of chopped herbs. Yum!
