This vegetarian most important is completely ready to shine on your vacation desk

As savory and alluring as a pot of stew can be, it is seldom charismatic more than enough to keep its possess as the centerpiece of a blowout holiday getaway feast. There is no amount of chopped parsley on top rated that can sufficiently costume up that prolonged-simmered brown underneath a stew, by mother nature, is normally more cozy and homey than extravagant and showstopping.

But pour that exact stew into a pastry crust and bake right until its buttery surface area turns golden and glistening, and you have got a stunning most important class that’s completely ready for a star convert.

You can do this to really considerably any thick stew and get superb success. This time, I went meatless, riffing on a chickpea-loaded vegetable tagine abundant with sweet spices and minced preserved lemon.

Because the most effective stews can be fairly concerned — all people veggies to chop and sear, furthermore a extended, slow effervescent on the stove — I have held the pastry straightforward and made use of a prepared phyllo rather than home made dough.

Then I streamline issues some far more. Phyllo recipes can be fussy, contacting for buttering each individual fragile, gossamer (and now sodden) piece ahead of stacking them a person on major of one more.

Instead, I use a trick I realized quite a few several years back even though generating a feta torte. Right after assembling everything in the pan, I poke holes in the dough and just pour the melted butter on best. It seeps amongst the layers fantastically and bakes up burnished, crisp and shiny. And employing a sheet pan implies that this pie can wow a crowd and feed it, much too.

You can make the stew the working day right before (stews are easygoing like that), then reheat it gently so it’s warm when it meets the phyllo. This makes sure that the filling will conclusion up piping incredibly hot and the pastry nicely browned at the identical time. If you’re employing the optional feta, add it instantly right before baking: You want each individual salty, creamy nugget to continue being a distinctive bite, instead than melt into the currently silky blend of cauliflower, sweet potatoes and zucchini.

Daring and bronzed, this blockbuster pie doesn’t have to have much garnish. A handful of chopped mint lends it a pop of shade and freshness, and if you want additional bling, a scattering of pomegranate seeds will insert a ruby glow. It proves that hiding in each and every humble stew pot is a great magnificence waiting to emerge. All it takes is a little alter of wardrobe.

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Spiced Vegetable Phyllo Pie

Whole time: 2 hours, moreover at the very least 15 minutes’ resting

Servings: 12

Substances

• 1 tablespoon further-virgin olive oil, much more as essential
• 2 medium red onions, chopped
• 1 crimson bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1¼ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1¼ teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Significant pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (these as Diamond Crystal)
• 1¾ kilos cauliflower, florets around chopped (about 4 cups)
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1 medium zucchini, lower into ¾-inch cubes
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable or rooster broth
• 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon or 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• ½ cup mint, around chopped, a lot more for topping
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 ounces feta, crumbled (optional)
• 1 (16-ounce) deal frozen phyllo dough, defrosted

Methods

1. Warmth the olive oil in a significant skillet or Dutch oven over medium-higher. At the time hot, add the red onion and bell pepper. Sauté till tender and golden at the edges, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, turmeric, paprika, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss nicely to merge. Sauté right up until the spices and tomato paste are fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes, introducing far more oil if needed.
3. Increase the chopped cauliflower, sweet potato, zucchini and chickpeas to the pan, and stir to coat with tomato and spices. Pour in the broth and preserved lemon, and deliver to a simmer. Partly include with a lid and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes or right up until the combination is thick and the vegetables are very tender. (Vegetable mixture can be made up to 24 several hours ahead reheat in advance of continuing.) Stir in the mint.
4. Warmth oven to 400 degrees. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter within a rimmed 18-by-13-inch sheet pan. Line the pan with 50 percent of the phyllo dough (you can continue to keep it in a stack) and brush the leading with 4 tablespoons melted butter. Employing a slotted spoon, spread the vegetable combination evenly on top rated of the butter-brushed phyllo dough and sprinkle with feta, if employing. Go over with the remaining phyllo dough. Use a paring knife to pierce holes in the course of the top of the dough all the way through the levels, and brush the surface with the remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the phyllo is crisp and golden brown. Enable sit 15 to 30 minutes in advance of serving. Use a serrated knife to slice items. Top rated with more mint to provide.