Prep time:

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 6

200g ready-made filo pastry (at room temperature)

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

5 red onions, sliced

2tbsp olive oil

1tbsp balsamic (or red wine) vinegar

2tsp brown sugar

200g feta cheese (or vegan version)

2tsp dried oregano

½tsp chilli flakes (ie not much)

2 sprigs rosemary

50g pine nuts (optional)

You will need a spring-form tin and a pastry brush

Filo pastry is tricky to handle as it dries out as soon as you look away from it, so have a damp tea towel/kichen roll handy to cover it if needed – and ensure that all the other ingredients are prepped and ready to assemble before you open the packet.

Filo pastry is tricky to handle as it dries out as soon as you look away from it, so have a damp tea towel/kichen roll handy to cover it if needed – and ensure that all the other ingredients are prepped and ready to assemble before you open the packet.

  1. Peel and chunk the butternut squash (approx 1-2cm cubes). Tip into a baking tray and coat with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano and bake in the oven (180°C) for 20-30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile slice the onion thinly and slowly caramelise in a frying pan – basically fry gently for as long as it takes for the onions to cook right down, adding the vinegar and sugar about halfway through this process. Cut the feta cheese into rough cubes and then, once the onion and squash have cooled a little, assemble the pie.
  3. Line a loose bottomed tin (I used a 23cm diameter spring-form tin) with greaseproof paper. Melt the butter and keep ready in a bowl. Then fold 2 sheets of the filo pastry into the bottom of the tin, brushing each side all over with melted butter. Place further buttered layers into the tin, allowing the excess pastry to loosely overhang the sides.
  4. Working quickly, add the filling, alternating squash, onion and feta cheese, dotted with a little chilli and approx 1 teaspoon of rosemary, until you reach the top of the tin. Fold the overhanging filo back over the filling, decorate with the rest of the rosemary and pine nuts, and bake in the oven for approx 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Serve warm (or cold) with a green salad.

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