Moroccan Phyllo Crescents w/Curried Golden Tomato Sauce

This amazingly delicious dish is from The Millenium Cookbook: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine, and extraordinary it is. If you haven’t been to the famous Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco, it’s quite a treat. This dish offers an opportunity to get your hands in some phyllo, which can be used for just about anything – entrees, desserts, appetizers. Let your imagination soar!

Makes 6 Servings

Filling

1 yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 red bell peppers, seeded, deribbed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

2 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup tomato puree or mild tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

6 ounces firm tofu, sliced into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves, blanched until wilted, and drained

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced

salt to taste

Phyllo

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons Sucanat, turbinado, or table sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 package phyllo dough, thawed

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups cooked Saffron Basmati Rice Pilaf (recipe follows)

Curried Golden Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

To make the filling:

1. In a large saute pan or skillet, saute the onion, garlic, and peppers in the oil (or in water) over medium heat until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the eggplants, then the cumin, curry powder, rosemary, ginger, and cayenne. Stir well and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomato puree and tamari and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the tofu, spinach, and mint. Add salt. Let cool to room temperature.

5. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, grind the almonds, Sucanat (sugar), and cinnamon to a fine meal.

To add filling to phyllo:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 2 sheets of phyllo on a work surface. Keep the remaining phyllo covered with a damp cloth. Brush the phyllo with oil. Repeat this process two more times until 6 sheets of phyllo have been used. Cut phyllo stack in half to make 2 rough square stacks.

2. Place 1/3 cup pilaf 1 inch from nearest end of the phyllo strips. Top with 1 cup filling. Fold the farthest of the phyllo over the filling so the edges meet. Starting from the open side edges of the phyllo, fold the bottom edge over the top as tight as possible, work down the edges until the phyllo is completely sealed. The phyllo will take on a crescent shape.

3. Place the phyllo on the prepared pan. Repeat with the second phyllo square, then repeat the entire stacking and filling process twice more, so that you have 6 crescents.

4. Brush the top of the crescents with the remaining oil and top with the almond mixture. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crescents are golden brown.

6. To serve, cover the center of each serving plate with 1/3 cup of the curried golden tomato sauce. Place 1 phyllo crescent over the sauce and garnish with the mint sprigs.

Variation:

For a lower-fat version, substitute 1/4 vegetable stock, dry white wine, nonalcoholic wine, or water for the olive oil in both the filling and the tomato sauce.

Nutritional Info Per Serving:

with oil: 545 calories; 17 g protein; 90 g carbohydrates; 13 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g fiber

without oil: 440 calories; 17 g protein; 90 g carbohydrates; 2 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g fiber