Root Vegetable Pies
24 muffin tin pies
Ingredients
1 medium Sweet Potato
1 small Beet
1 small Turnip
3 Carrots
1/2 Fennel Bulb
1 Bartlett Pear
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup Raisins
1 stick Butter (melted)
2 Tablespoons Curry Powder
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/4 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs (heel of stale bread)
1/8 cup Aged Gouda Cheese (grated)
1 package Phyllo Dough
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°
Melt the stick of butter in a fairly large sauté pan.
Pour off all but 2 Tablespoons of the butter into a separate small bowl or pyrex dish. Keep the remaining 2 Tablespoons in the sauté pan.
Smash and mince the garlic and sauté over medium-low heat in the pan with the melted butter until just slightly cooked. Set aside.
Wash but don’t peel any of the vegetables.
Using a spiralizer or grater, shred the sweet potato, beet, turnip and carrots on a medium setting and add them to the garlic.
Mince the fennel bulb and pear and add it to the pan. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, then cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat to low. Continue to cook for 10 minutes longer until the vegetables are tender.
Uncover the pan and add the curry powder, honey and raisins to the pan stirring well to combine. Season with salt cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
Using stale bread and a cheese grater, grate fresh bread crumbs and place in a bowl.
Great the aged gouda and add to the breadcrumbs.
Pour all of the sautéed vegetables into the same bowl and stir to combine.
Open the package of phyllo dough taking care not to rip the edges. On a flat work surface, peel off one of the sheets and lay it flat. Using a pastry brush, carefully brush half of the sheet of dough with an even layer of the melted butter. Fold the phyllo dough in half widthwise then brush with more butter. Add another sheet of dough onto the buttered phyllo sheet so you will have 4 layers of buttered dough.
Cut this sheet into 1/4 squares and gently push into the muffin tin using your fingertips to shape the square to fit the tin. Repeat this 5 more times to eventually have enough phyllo dough cups for all 24 cups and a last sheet reserved for the shredded tops.
Spoon in the vegetable mixture into the phyllo dough lined tins so there is a generous and equal amount for each of them.
For the shredded tops, roll the remaining buttered dough into a cylinder similar to a straw and cut widthwise with kitchen scissors so the dough is cut into spaghetti like threads.
Place the threads loosely onto of the pies and add a dollop of melted butter.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the top and sides are golden browned.
Notes
Kids LOVE kitchen tools and this recipe gives them plenty of time for grating and spiraling the ingredients. These simple pies are a beautiful garnet color and have bit of spice from the turnip and an exotic curry spice which adds interest and depth. The raisins and honey counter the spice and offer an even tone to the palate. Although kids aren’t really aware, they do know sweet and spicy and this recipe teaches them how to appreciate that a dish can have more than one taste. Phyllo dough can be found in the freezer section of any grocery store. It looks just like paper and kids are always amazed that it is actually food! Work carefully so it doesn’t rip and when it is baked it is very light and crispy.