Ottolenghi's butternut crunch pie (2024)

Home > Vegetarian pie recipes > Ottolenghi’s butternut crunch pie

By: Yotam and the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

• Published:12 Dec 22
• Updated:25 Mar 24

• Test kitchen approved

Team Yotam have done it again – this ruffled filo pie cleverly treads the line between sweet and savoury, with a top note of zingy heat thanks to a scattering of pickled chillies. Adding sugar to the filo might seem counter-intuitive, but it really helps to caramelise the pastry and is balanced out by the salty feta and pickled chillies.

This is a handy one to have in the freezer, ready for any last-minute guests. Find all our make-ahead Christmas recipes here.

Recipe extracted from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi, published by Ebury Press at £25. Photography © Elena Heatherwick, 2022

Ingredients

• 10 sheets (250g pack) good-quality filo pastry
• 100g unsalted butter, melted
• 30g caster sugar
• 2 tsp icing sugar

For the filling

• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to grease
• 2 onions (about 300g), halved and cut into 0.5cm slices
• 5g sage leaves, finely chopped
• 10g parsley, roughly chopped
• 150g feta, crumbled
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1⁄2 butternut squash (about 650g), peeled, deseeded and cut into 1.5cm half-moons
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the pickled chillies

• 2 mild red chillies, finely sliced into rounds, seeds and all
• 3 tbsp cider vinegar

You’ll also need

• 23cm springform cake tin

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Grease the base and sides of the cake tin with oil, then line with baking paper.
2. For the filling, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1⁄4 tsp salt, then turn down the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely caramelised (about 45-50 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, feta, lemon zest, 1⁄8 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper.
3. Meanwhile, line a large baking tray with baking paper. Add the butternut squash, cinnamon, remaining oil, 1⁄2 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper, then toss everything together. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping over the squash halfway through, or until cooked through and lightly coloured. Turn down the oven to 170°C fan/gas 5.

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4. Put the filo sheets under a clean, slightly damp tea towel. Brush a sheet with some of the melted butter and sprinkle with 1⁄2 tsp of the caster sugar. Transfer to the prepared cake tin, pressing the sheet into the base and letting any excess hang over the sides. Repeat with 4 more sheets of filo (so 5 in total), rotating them slightly when you press them into the tin, so the excess hangs over at different angles.
5. Put the squash pieces in the base of the pie, overlapping them slightly. Top with the onion mixture, compressing it down. 6 Take another sheet of filo, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with 1⁄2 tsp caster sugar. Scrunch it up, then arrange it on top of the exposed filling.
6. Repeat with the remaining 4 filo sheets to cover the filling completely. Fold in the overhang, scrunching it up in the same way, and brush with any remaining butter. Put the tin on a flat baking tray and bake for 50 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, put the chillies, vinegar and a tiny pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix to combine, then set aside to pickle lightly. 8 Remove the pie from the oven and use a tea towel to help release the tin, removing the outer ring and baking paper (leaving the pie on the base). Bake for another 25 minutes or until browned and caramelised all over. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly (about 15 minutes) before transferring to a plate or board. Dust with the icing sugar just before serving with the pickled chillies alongside.

Nutrition: per serving

Recipe By

Yotam and the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

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