21 November 2006

Mushroom Filo Pastries

This recipe is from Moosewood Celebrates.
Ingredients:
1T plus half cup olive oil
3 c. rinsed and chopped leeks
salt
8 c. chopped mushrooms (1.5 pounds)
.5 cup dry sherry
2 T fresh thyme
2 T soy sauce
1 cake tofu
2 T lemon juice
.75 pound filo pastry

The Filling
Warm 1 T olive oil in a large skillet. Add 3 cups rinsed and chopped leeks and .5 tsp salt and saute on high heat for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and saute for 5 minutes, until tender.

Add 8 cups (1.5 lbs.) chopped mushrooms, and continue to saute for another 5 minutes, until they being to release their juices. Stir in .5 cup dry sherry and 2 T chopped fresh thyme (I used dried) and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirrin occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the mixture is almost dry. Remove from heat and set aside.

Crumble 1 cake firm low-fat silken tofu (12 oz.) into the bowl of a food processor, and add 2 T lemon juice and 2 T soy sauce. Puree until smooth and creamy. Stir the puree into the mushrooms and mix well.

Preparing the Pastry
In a small bowl, combine .5 cup olive oil and .25 tsp. salt. Unfold 16 sheets of filo pastry (12x17 inch sheets) on a dry, spacious work surface. Cover with a damp towel. Have the filling, the oil, and a pastry brush (or a new 2" paintbrush) close at hand. Take two sheets of filo from the stack and, keeping them together, place them with their short sides facing you. Brush the top sheet lightly with oil (swirl the brush in the cup to mix the salt up before you paint the filo). Fold both sheets neatly in half lengthwise and brush the strip with oil. Spread .5 cup filling from the bottom edge of the filo strip to the middle. Fold the lower right corner up and over diagnonally until the bottom edge is flush with the left side and you have a triangle at the end. (It's kind of like folding a flag.) Brush once with oil, and keep folding until you have a triangular pastry. Brush both sides of the finished pastry lightly with oil and place on one of the prepared baking sheets.

Repeat to make 8 pastries. Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed. Serve hot.

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