This pumpkin pie is encased in an olive-oil pastry. The pastry is easy to work with and nice to eat. The Greek-style pie could be made with filo pastry if you prefer. The filling could also be used in smaller pies.
I served the pie with a simple salad of lentils, caramelised onion, diced tomato and parsley. It was dressed with lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with cumin, salt and pepper.
The choice pumpkin was shared with my children and made into soups and gnocchi. I’m planning to make a cake with the last piece.
Pumpkin and feta pie
The pie can be made with layers of filo pastry brushed with olive oil.
Olive-oil pastry
2 cups plain flour
1/2 HALF tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
100ml extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 HALF cup cold water
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Place in a food processor with the olive oil, vinegar and most of the water. Process the ingredients briefly to mix well together. Add more water if needed. Or make the pastry by hand in a bowl, mixing it together with the fingers of one hand. Turn the pastry out on to a floured bench and knead for three or four minutes. Wrap it in plastic and chill for at least couple of hours or longer.
Pumpkin and feta filling
1kg piece of pumpkin
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper
½ HALF tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
1 onion sliced
200g feta, diced or crumbled
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
2 free-range eggs
sesame seeds to sprinkle
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp milk for egg wash
Herb and spice variation: flavour the pie with one teaspoon of roasted ground cumin seeds and a few sprigs of chopped fresh oregano, instead of cinnamon and cloves.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Scoop the seeds and membrane from the pumpkin and cut it into four or five smaller pieces. There is no need to peel it. Rub the pumpkin pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a pinch of the spices. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven until tender, about 60 minutes. Turn the pumpkin a couple of times during baking. Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry until golden, stirring occasionally. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, cut off the skin. Then roughly cut it into cubes. Taste the pumpkin to gauge its sweetness to decide whether it needs a little sugar added to bring out the flavour. Place the cubed pumpkin into a large bowl with the onion, feta and parsley. Lightly beat the eggs and season with salt, sugar and pepper and remaining spices. Tip over pumpkin and feta and mix altogether lightly.
Assembling the pie
Preheat the oven to 180C. You need a 30cm pizza tray or ovenproof plate for the pie. Brush lightly with olive oil. Take the pastry from the fridge and cut in half. Sprinkle the kitchen bench and rolling pin with flour. Shape one half of the pastry into a flat round disc. Then roll out into a circle a little larger than the tray. Loosely roll it around the rolling pin and then carefully unroll over the tray. The pastry is quite pliable so stretch it to fit and patch as necessary. Use your fingers to press it evenly on to the tray. Roll out the other half of the pastry the same size for the top of the pie. Spoon the filling evenly on to the pastry-lined tray or plate, leaving a 2.5cm border. Place the other circle of pastry carefully over the filling. Trim excess pastry away with a knife to be flush with the edge of the plate. Fold the edge (both layers) of the pastry in, all the way around. Pinch the rolled edge with the forefinger and thumbs or press with a fork. Prick holes in the top of the pie with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Brush the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes. Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting.