Butternut Squash and Fondue Pie with Pickled Chillies

It just so happened that I did have a butternut squash that had been in the fridge for a while when I saw this Yottam Ottolenghi recipe in the NYT Cooking section. After reading the recipe it was just a matter of when I was going to tackle this. I mean, caramelized onion, baked butternut squash, eggs and cheese, all wrapped in a phyllo crust. What's not to love?

Before going into the recipe, here's a spoiler photo just so you can understand my enthusiasm. This pie almost literally blew our minds when we tasted it.

Ok, so Ottolenghi's photos are a lot better, but let's get on with it.

You can find the recipe here, but I did make a few modifications so I will lay the way I did it. Feel free to choose either/or and modify as you see fit.

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp grapeseed oil, melted on low heat

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 small red or green Chili pepper, thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper

1 small butternut squash (500g), peeled, halved, deseeded and cut into thick slices

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tbsp olive oil

1 sweet onion, peeled and cut into ½" rounds (add 2" sections of leeks, cut through lengthwise)

6 garlic cloves, crushed

120ml dry white wine

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra sprigs for garnish

160 ml double cream

2 large eggs

2 tsp corn starch/ (corn flour for the brits!)

½ tsp red pepper flakes

125 g Gruyere, Cheddar, Mahon (whatever harder cheese you have on hand) grated

125 g Taleggio or other soft melting cheese

7 sheets filo/phyllo pastry

Method

Heat oven to 400°F and grease a 9" non-stick springform pan

Mix chili pepper with vinegar and 1/8 tsp salt and set aside to pickle

Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise, deseed and cut into thick slices and toss in a bowl with cinnamon, 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Transfer to a seasoned or lined baking sheet in one layer.

Toss the onion with 1 tbsp olive oil taking care to keep the rounds intact, 1/8 tsp salt and black pepper and transfer to the baking sheet. Roast the squash and onions for about 30 minutes, turning mid-way, keeping the onion rounds intact, until they are soft and well browned. Turn the oven down to 375°F.

While the vegetables are roasting, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium high. Add the garlic, stirring for two to three minutes or until just starting to color. Add wine and thyme and cook until reduced by about a half. Set aside to cool.

Mix the cream, eggs, corn starch, ½ tsp salt, red pepper flakes and the grated cheeses to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the cooled wine mixture.

Take one filo sheet at a time and place on a cutting board or counter top. Cover the rest of the filo sheets with plastic and a damp dish towel to prevent them from drying out. Brush each sheet with the melted butter/oil mixture and lay in the greased springform pan with the ends overhanging the edge. Gently press the pastry into the inside edge of the pan taking care not to tear the sheets. Rotate and overlap as you lay the sheets until all of the pan is covered.

Lay two thirds of the roasted vegetables in the bottom of the pan and top with the egg and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining vegetables, pushing gently to almost submerge them, but not quite. Take the excess filo sheets and scrunch them gently over the inside edge of the pan, keeping the middle of the pie open. Brush pastry with remaining melted butter/oil mix and pop in the oven for 30 minutes until the pastry is dark golden brown and the middle of the pie registers about 160°F.

Leave to cool for few minutes to let the egg custard set a little before releasing the outer rim of the pan. Top with the pickled peppers, then tuck in and prepare to be amazed.