Roasted Aubergine & Red Pepper Hand Pies

If you’re a fan of bold flavours and comforting hand-held meals, these Roasted Aubergine & Red Pepper Hand Pies are the perfect dish to try!

I saw an instagram post a while back which featured a dip for flat bread containing roasted aubergine and red peppers that looked divine. Since I’m gluten-free, flatbread wasn’t an option for me, but I thought, why not use that flavorful dip as a filling for some paleo hand pies? Everything is better in a hand pie, no?, Thankfully, it worked but it was also delicious and very comforting.

The first time I made this recipe, I added WAY too much chili flakes which made me think of pairing these spicy little nugget with a mint yoghurt dip. I combined yoghurt, chopped mint, salt, and lemon zest. I love adding a lot of spice to my hand pies which pairs beautifully with the yoghurt but if you are not into heat, feel free to ignore the addition of chili flakes to the recipe.

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roasted aubergine & red pepper hand pies

make around 12 depending on your cookie cutter

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INGREDIENTS

Filling:

• 2 medium eggplant

• 2 red bell pepper

• 1 head of garlic

• 1 red onion, finely chopped

• 2 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 teaspoon coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (depending on your spice preference)

• salt to taste

Hand Pie Dough:

• 1 1/2 cup cassava flour

• 2/3 butter or palm shortening

• 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2 cup cold water

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Yoghurt Dipping Sauce

• yoghurt

• mint

• salt

• lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Coat aubergine, red pepper, and garlic in a bit of oil. Place the aubergine and red pepper on a baking sheet that is lined with baking paper. Wrap the garlic in foil and place it on the baking sheet as well. Roast for about 20 - 30 minutes or until the bell pepper is charred.

2. While you are waiting for the veggies to cook, you can make you pie dough. In a bowl of a food processor, add in cassava flour and salt. Pulse for a few seconds to combine.

3. Add the cold, cubed butter (or palm shortening) into the food processor with the flour mixture. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some pieces of butter about the size of peas.

4. With the food processor running on low speed, slowly pour the apple cider vinegar and cold water mixture through the feed tube. Continue pulsing until the dough comes together. If it feels too dry, add a little more cold water (a teaspoon at a time) until the dough holds together.

5. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This helps the dough firm up and makes it easier to roll out.

6. Take the baking tray out of the oven. Carefully take the red pepper and cover it with plastic wrap in a small bowl. This will make peeling the pepper easier.

7. Scoop out the aubergine and place in a medium size bowl. Scoop out the roasted garlic and place it in the bowl with the aubergine. Once the red pepper is cooled, remove the skin and finely dice. Throw it in the bowl with the aubergine.

8. In a pan, over medium heat, heat olive oil with the red onion. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add in cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, coriander, & chili flakes. Toast for 1 minute and then add mixture into the bowl with the aubergine and red pepper and stir to combine.

9. Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

10. On a lightly floured surface (using cassava flour), roll out the chilled dough to about ⅛-inch thickness. Use a round cutter (about 2-3 inches in diameter) to cut out circles of dough. Keep going until all the dough is used.

11. Place a spoonful of the vegetable filling in the center of each dough circle. Be cautious when adding the filling. You want the hand pies to be full but not too full that it is impossible to crimpe the edges together. Take another circle and carefully place on top of the filling. Carefully press the edges together with your fingers and crimp them with a fork to seal tightly.

12. Place the hand pies on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little water or beaten egg for a golden finish, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the hand pies are golden and crisp.

13. Let them cool for 15 minutes before enjoying! While waiting for them to cool, you can make the yoghurt dipping sauce.