Eggplant & Walnut Phyllo Pies with Charred Onion Sauce

Tender, roasted eggplant and toasted walnuts nestled inside flakey phyllo pies and served with a sweet, charred onion dipping sauce.

Eggplant & Walnut Phyllo Pies
yields 6 medium sized pies
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing pies
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, small dice
salt and pepper
1/2 large red onion, small dice
1 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raisins
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbl dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 roll phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat the oven to broil.
Drizzle the eggplant with 2 tbl of olive oil, salt and pepper and place under the broiler to char, 10 minutes. Check every few minutes to make sure it has not completely burned, you just want it tender with browned edges.
Preheat the oven to 375 once the eggplant is done under the broiler.
While the eggplant is cooking, saute the onion in 1 tbl of olive oil in a large saute pan. Once the onion is tender and lightly browned, add the walnuts, raisins, garlic, oregano and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Cook to toast the walnuts and garlic, 3 minutes.
Add the eggplant to the onion mixture along with the broth and scrape up any pan bits. Finish cooking a few more minutes to incorporate everything together.
Set aside to cool.

Unroll the phyllo dough and divide the sheets into 3 stacks.
Work one stack at a time.
Remove 2-3 sheets and place them on the counter. Brush with olive oil. Top with 2-3 more sheets and brush with oil. Repeat a final time then cut the stack in half lengthwise.
Spoon a large amount of filling onto the end of each strip. Take one corner and fold it over to create a triangle. Continue folding down the strip until you have one big triangle. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet.
Continue to make 5 more pies.
Generously brush the tops with more olive oil and bake at 375 for 25 minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Charred Onion Sauce
2 hot house tomatoes, seeded, medium dice
1 extra large sweet onion, medium dice
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
salt and pepper
2 tsp agave

Preheat the oven to broil.
Toss the tomatoes and onion with olive oil, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Broil in a single layer on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until the onions have charred.
Transfer to a blender, add the agave and blend until mostly smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper.