A few weeks ago I bought a box of whole wheat phyllo dough on sale from the local health food store (New City Market). The clerk asked me what I would be making with it when I checked out -- I told him I honestly had no idea. But glimpsing it in the freezer this week sparked an idea... spanakopita minus the spinach (and cheese, of course). I've tried replacing the cheese with tofu before, but spinach and tofu alone don't quite stand up to my memories of decadence. So this time I went for portobello mushrooms, garlic and pine nuts, drizzled with a generous amount of olive oil... earthy, rich flavors that turned out miraculously.
2 portobello mushroom caps, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 hefty sprinkle each salt & pepper
a few dashes chipotle-flavored Tobasco (optional, lends a smoky hint)
1-2 Tbsps olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 handfuls pine nuts
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
6 sheets whole wheat phyllo dough, defrosted
Combine the mushrooms, garlic & olive oil in a skillet and cook on medium heat until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, spread the pine nuts in the bottom of a dry saucepan and heat on medium, stirring frequently, until just browned (be careful not to let them burn!). Season the mushrooms with the salt, pepper and Tobasco. Slice the phyllo sheets in half lengthwise.
Spread half the mushroom mixture in the bottom of a Pyrex dish. Top with half of the nutritional yeast. Place a phyllo sheet on top, brush with olive oil and repeat until you have used 6 of the half-sheets. Top with the remaining mushroom mixture & yeast, then with another stack of oiled phyllo sheets.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top layers of phyllo are golden and puffed up.
Ingredient Notes: I sometimes find it easier to use a spray can of olive oil/baking spray than to brush each sheet with olive oil. I also use a relatively small pan, so I'll take 3 phyllo sheets for each layer and fold them in half, which saves time. In a pinch, I've also used frozen puff pastry, but it doesn't have quite the dramatic crunch that phyllo dough does. This time around, I used the cooking juices from a batch of Baked Tomato & Zucchini in place of plain olive oil for brushing.
