Savory Australian Pumpkin & Feta Pie

Ingredients

Note: Stateside, it’s impossible to find the Queensland blue pumpkin the Aussies use, but blue hubbard squash and pie pumpkin (not the canned stuff) works. In a pinch, butternut squash will do.

• 1 kg (~2 lbs) pumpkin, skin on, cut in large, equal pieces and tossed in olive oil and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon and a pinch of cloves)

• 2-3 TBSP olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, tossed in oil (you can omit if garlic’s not your thing)

• 200 g feta, crumbled (or a bit more if you like!)

• 2 TBSP chopped parsley

• 2 eggs

• 2 sheets puff pastry

• Milk for glazing

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°.

• Line baking tray with foil and coat/spray with olive oil

• Spread the pumpkin (skin side down) and garlic cloves on a baking tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. When they are cool enough to handle, remove pumpkin skins and put pumpkin into a large bowl. Squeeze garlic cloves into pumpkin and discard skins.

• While pumpkin is roasting, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent.

• Add onions, feta, parsley and lightly beaten eggs to pumpkin/garlic mixture. Mix thoroughly with wooden spoon.

• Season mixture with salt and pepper.

• Compiling pastry: While sautéing onion, roll out bottom layer and put into lightly greased pie dish or 8” x 8” pan (9 x 9 is OK too). Bake in 400° oven for 13-15 minutes. (For lighter side dish, skip bottom pastry layer)

• Add pumpkin mixture and cover with top puff pastry layer, brush pastry lightly with milk.

• Bake about 10 minutes, then lower oven to 375 and bake another 15-20 minutes. 

• Lay foil over pastry if it starts getting too brown.

Let rest 5 minutes after baking.

Can be served hot or room temperature.