Ingredients / Shopping List
1 sweet potato1 butternut squash1 large onion 150g mushrooms1 pepper100g peanuts 80g butter1 tblsp cumin seeds1 chilliSalt & black pepper250g filo pastry50g butter1 tsp back mustard seeds1 tblsp pumpkin seeds
Prep to Cook: Chopping board, vegetable knife, cooks knife, pastry brush, basin, teaspoon, tablespoon, flan dish or springform tin or oblong foil platter, large pan with lid, mixing bowl, cling film.
Prep:
Peel and slice the sweet potato
Slice and de-seed butternut squash
Peel the onion and cut into wedges
Slice and remove seeds from pepper and chop
Slice mushrooms
Slice the chilli in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and slice very finely
Fry the onion and add the chilli
Add the spices and fry for a further 2 – 3 minutes
Add all the vegetables and cover with lid until all just soften
Season the filling and then allow to go cold.
Prep the pie:
Using a flan tin or a spring clip tin or an oblong tray
Unwrap the pasty and carefully peel off one layer
Place it into the flan tin and brush it with melted butter
Put a second layer of pastry and brush again with butter
Spoon in the vegetable mixture and spread over the pastry
Sprinkle with peanuts and seasoning
Top the pie off with two to 3 layers of filo over the filling and pinch to fit
Brush with remaining melted butter. Freeze at this stage.
Scatter onion seeds and pumpkin seeds over the top prior to baking.
Cook in a hot oven 210ºC or Gas Mark 7 for 30 – 35 minutes until crisp and golden
This dish makes an excellent main course to have hot with crunch salads. Or serve it alongside other mains or as part of a sharing table.
Cooks Know How: Filo pastry is one of the pastries you do not need to make. It is a lovely ready-to-use product that cooks to a crisp layer. The pastry has no fat in it therefore it has no flavour in itself. Brushing the pastry layers with melted butter adds the fat and the colour and flavour. It is such thin pastry you need to layer it up for strength. Three layers are stronger than two. In this recipe the pastry holds the other ingredients together and makes them really easy to serve.
When you cook this pie the oven needs to be hot, say Gas 7 or Electric 210ºC, in order to brown the pastry and make it crisp. The pie is formed from the use of filo pastry to create a wrap around the vegetables. Here is where you need a support and shape in the form of a cake tin or flan dish. Line it with layers of filo pastry remembering to brush melted butter between each layer. Do not try to smooth the pastry, it is too difficult and a crinkled effect looks good. Brushing the crinkled pastry top with melted butter will make the pastry taste nice and buttery and the fat will also brown and crisp the pastry. The skill with the filling is to cook the vegetables carefully so that they retain their texture then let the filling go cold. A cold filling will not damage the pastry and the end result will be better. This pie can be made well in advance and stored in the refrigerator or be frozen before baking.