Yum Yam Phyllo Torte

This is a recipe from Leanne Kitchen's (her real name, I swear) The Produce Bible on pg. 229 which I have altered and completely veganized. Her version had yogurt in it which I replaced with a pine nut cream. I also made it in my paella pan (mine is 12" in diameter) that I brought back from Spain when I last visited in 1998. It is a decidedly unique way to use a paella pan I believe and the finished product looked really pretty. So pretty that I wished that I had invited people over for dinner. I ate this for dinner tonight but it would make a great lunch and could be paired with a salad. This recipe looks complicated but I promise you that it is not!

11/2 lbs. yams peeled and chopped into cubes

6 big shallots peeled and quartered

2 medium red potatoes peeled and chopped into cubes

1/3 c. olive oil and H2O to fill up to 1/2 c.

1 tsp. fresh ginger chopped fine

1 tsp. smoked paprika

2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

4 c. baby spinach

1/3 c. dried currants

2/3 c. raw almonds toasted

1/3 c. pecans toasted

large handful flat leaf Italian parsley finely chopped

1/2 pkg. phyllo dough (whole wheat or spelt preferably)

olive oil and a pastry brush

Pine Nut Cream

2 handfuls pine nuts

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 c. cocounut milk

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Put yams, potatoes, and shallots on a cookie sheet. Mix ginger, paprika, cumin, olive oil, and H2O in a glass and stir to combine. Pour over yams, potatoes, and shallots, and mix to coat. Bake for 30 minutes and then scrape veggies around and bake for another 10 minutes. Take veggies out to cool, put into a large bowl, and decrease heat to 350.

Add currants and spinach to veggie mix, and add the parsley and nuts. Make the pine nut cream by combining all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Add to the veggie mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put phyllo sheets on the counter and cover with a damp paper towel to keep from drying out. Carefully lift 1 phyllo sheet and place on a cookie sheet that has olive oil brushed on the bottom. Brush the top of the phyllo dough with olive oil. I put two layers (8 sheets) on the bottom of the paella pan with each sheet starting at the middle and hanging over the edges, or however you choose to do it.

Put the veggie mixture on top of the phyllo dough in the paella pan. Bring the hanging pieces of phyllo dough over the mixture to cover it. Brush the remaining phyllo dough sheets with olive oil and place them over the veggie mixture. Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes until a beautiful golden brown. Let sit before for a few min. before serving. Serve in wedges.

*The original recipe also called for chickpeas to be mixed in and baked in the torte with the rest of the veggies. I completely forgot about them as I put them back in my kitchen cabinet. I am going to make harissa kissed hummus tomorrow to serve on top of the torte tomorrow!