Middle Eastern Aubergine Pies
These Middle Eastern aubergine pies combine a soft ras el hanout-spiced dough with a savoury filling of roasted aubergine, preserved lemon and pepper. The Thermomix kneads the bread dough to a consistent, elastic texture and blends the fragrant filling evenly. Ideal as a vegetarian starter or light main, bringing warm Levantine flavours to your table with minimal hands-on effort.
About this recipe
Middle Eastern aubergine pies Thermomix TM7 recipes bring the fragrant flavours of the Levant straight into your kitchen with your all-in-one kitchen machine. These hand-held pies pair a soft, olive-oil enriched dough made from strong bread flour with a deeply savoury filling of aubergine, preserved lemon, ras el hanout and ground pepper. The TM7 kneads the yeast dough into a smooth, elastic ball without any manual work, while the mixing bowl blends the spiced filling into an even, aromatic mixture. The tangy preserved lemon cuts through the sweet roasted aubergine, creating that characteristic sweet-sour balance of Middle Eastern cooking. Serve these pies warm as a vegetarian starter, pack them into a lunchbox, or offer them at a festive mezze spread alongside hummus and yogurt dip. Thanks to guided preparation and hands-free kneading, even less experienced bakers achieve a pillowy dough and a filling with consistent seasoning every single time.
Preparation tips
- Let the ras el hanout dough rise in a warm, draught-free spot until visibly doubled, as the olive oil and strong bread flour need enough time to develop a pillowy, tender crumb before shaping the pies.
- Drain the cooked aubergine filling well before filling the dough, otherwise excess moisture softens the bottom of the pies and prevents them from turning golden and crisp in the oven.
- Chop the preserved lemon flesh finely and taste the filling before adding extra sea salt, because preserved lemons already bring a pronounced salty tang to the spiced aubergine mixture.
Recipe variations
- Make a vegan version by replacing the butter or dairy elements with extra olive oil in the dough; the aubergine and preserved lemon filling is already plant-based, so the pies stay just as fragrant and tender.
- For a festive mezze variation, add crumbled feta and toasted pine nuts to the aubergine filling, or fold in pomegranate seeds after baking for a glossy, jewel-like finish that suits a holiday buffet.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Weigh the strong bread flour and water directly in the mixing bowl with the integrated scale, ensuring the yeast dough has the exact balance for a tender crumb.
- Kneading the olive oil dough in the Thermomix delivers an elastic, silky consistency without any manual effort, ready for its first rise.
- Steaming the aubergines in the Varoma keeps them tender and flavoursome while preserving their shape for the pie filling.
- Heating the aubergine filling at a controlled temperature lets the ras el hanout bloom fully without any risk of scorching the preserved lemon.
- Grinding whole spices for ras el hanout in the TM7 releases fresher, more aromatic oils than any pre-ground shop blend.
Ingredients
- dried instant yeast
- sugar
- water
- olive oil
- strong white bread flour
- ras el hanout2
- fine sea salt
- aubergines
- ground black pepper
- preserved lemons