Aubergine, tomato & feta baklava
Serves 6 Prep 5 mins Cook 2 hrs plus cooling £1.94 a portion 869 kcals, 46g fat, 17g sat. fat a portion
unbaked
100ml olive oil, plus extra for brushing 2 onions, halved and finely sliced 500g aubergines, cut into long 5mm-thick
slices 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tsp ground cinnamon 5 tbsp tomato purée 10 vine-ripened plum tomatoes, skinned
and roughly chopped pinch of sugar 1 bunch dill, finely chopped 2 tsp dried mint dash of red wine vinegar 1 pack filo pastry (14 sheets) 100g butter, melted 100g Medjool dates, stoned, finely sliced 50g flaked almonds 200g feta, crumbled 6 tbsp clear honey
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over a low heat and sauté the onions until softened and sticky – this can take up to 30 mins.
Brush a few of the aubergine slices with a little oil, sprinkle with sea salt and cook over a high heat until well charred and cooked through, 5-7 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Lift on to kitchen paper and cook the remaining slices.
Add the garlic, cinnamon and tomato purée to the onions and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the tomatoes, sugar, dill, mint, vinegar and a generous pinch of sea salt. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 mins until thickened. Adjust the seasoning to taste and
allow to cool. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Unfold the pastry and cover with a damp cloth to prevent it drying out. Brush a baking tray (about 30 x 20cm) with melted butter. Line the tray with a sheet of filo (cut to fit if too big), brush with butter and repeat until you have a 6-layer thickness. Spread half the tomato mixture over the pastry, top with half each of the dates, almonds and feta, and cover with half of the aubergine slices. Sandwich another 4 layers of filo together with melted butter and place on top of the aubergines. Top with the remaining tomato mixture, dates, feta and aubergines. Sandwich the remaining 4 filo sheets together as before and place on top.
Lightly score the top, cutting into diamonds about 5 x 10cm. Brush with the remaining butter, splash with a little water and cook for 35-45 mins or until golden. Leave to cool a little before serving, then drizzle each portion with a little honey.