Pumpkin and Feta Tart

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 700g firm-fleshed pumpkin
• 400g ready-made puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 1 egg, beaten with a fork
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 12 sage laves
• 100g (1 1/2 cups) sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 175g firm feta, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• extra virgin olive oil

Method

Cut the pumpkin into chunks and remove the skin and seeds. Cut into large cubes and either steam or boil gently until nearly tender; do not over cook. Cool then slice.

Meanwhile, roll the pastry approximately 44cm long and 26cm wide. Cut off a piece of pastry 20cm long and put the larger piece on a baking tray lined with baking paper. This larger piece is the base of the pie. Brush around the edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Cut thick strips, approximately 2cm wide, off the 20cm long piece of pastry, and position these around the edges of the pie base. Chill the pastry until firm.

Brush the strips of pastry around the edges of the pie with beaten egg. Arrange the pumpkin in the centre of the pastry, not on the edges, sprinkle with salt and grind on some pepper, and scatter the sage leaves over. Next, put in the tomatoes cut side facing up, and cover with the feta and sliced onion.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (fanbake) for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Tips

If you're having difficulty imagining how the pastry should look, think of it as a picture frame. What you are doing is making a double layer of pastry around the edges of the pie like a frame, so that it will puff and be the same height as the filled centre of the pie once it is baked. I prefer to steam the pumpkin because it keeps all its flavour and the texture stays firm and dryish - if you turn it into a puree, its sayonara pumpkin pie.