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Crispy Mini Meatless Pies

Crispy Mini Meatless Pies

This delicious appetizer is one of our family’s favorites. The inspiration comes from a dish called lajme bil ajin (which translates to “meat on the dough”), which our mom would often make on Friday nights or special occasions. The traditional version is made with homemade pizza dough, topped with ground beef sautéed in olive oil with pine nuts, chopped tomatoes, and pomegranate molasses. We have simplified the recipe by using crispy spring roll wrappers as a base, and substituted tofu for the ground meat. If you would like to freeze these, arrange them on a large baking sheet before they’re baked, and place in the freezer for about two hours (this will keep the filling from falling off). Transfer to a large freezer bag and freeze for up to a month.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword Meatless Pies, Tahini & Turmeric
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Yields 18 pies
Author Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium-size onion diced (about 1 cup)
  • 10 ounces extra-firm tofu patted dry
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil diced
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baharat or ground allspice
  • 2 tablespoons raw pine nuts
  • 9 spring roll wrappers
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

EQUIPMENT

  • Parchment paper

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, nonstick pan. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until translucent.
  2. Crumble the tofu into a medium-size bowl. Add the cooked onion, parsley, diced sun-dried tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, salt, cinnamon, and baharat and mix well.
  3. Using the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the tofu mixture and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining ½ teaspoon of olive oil. Add the pine nuts and toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently and watching carefully to prevent them from burning. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Brush each spring roll wrapper on both sides with vegetable oil. Cut each wrapper in half and fold each half into a square (you will end up with 18 squares).
  7. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of tofu mixture into the middle of each wrapper square, lightly pushing it down so it almost covers the surface of the wrapper.
  8. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top and transfer to the lined baking sheets (9 per sheet). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe Notes

TIP: To make sure the wrappers don’t dry out while you fold them, pile them on top of one another and cover with a clean towel until they are ready to be filled and baked.

Excerpted from Tahini & Turmeric: 101 Middle Eastern Classics—Made Irresistibly Vegan by Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox. Copyright ©2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.