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Squash, lentil, tomato and rosemary pie

Name: Squash, lentil, tomato and rosemary pie recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 cups (300g) plain flour; 150g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm pieces, chilled; Pinch of fine sea salt; 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 tsp crushed coriander seeds; 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika; 1 (approx 1.1kg) large pumpkin, such as butternut, peeled, halved, seeds discarded, chopped; 500g large, ripe tomatoes, skin removed, chopped or 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes; 3/4 cup (150g) red lentils; 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked, roughly chopped; 4 cups (1L) good-quality vegetable stock; 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley; 1/4 bunch chives, finely chopped; 1 cup (200g) feta cheese, drained, broken into chunks; 1 small handful fennel tops (optional), torn

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by Gill Meller

Jun 02, 2020

"The squash-and-lentil filling remains incredibly moist thanks to ripe tomatoes. I like to crumble over some barrel-aged feta for a salty twang; capers or chopped sun-dried tomatoes would work well too," says Gill Meller. This is an edited extract from Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower by Gill Meller (Hardie Grant Books, $49.99) and is available where all good books are sold.

2 cups (300g) plain flour
150g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm pieces, chilled
Pinch of fine sea salt

Filling

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
1 (approx 1.1kg) large pumpkin, such as butternut, peeled, halved, seeds discarded, chopped
500g large, ripe tomatoes, skin removed, chopped or 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup (150g) red lentils
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked, roughly chopped
4 cups (1L) good-quality vegetable stock
1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1/4 bunch chives, finely chopped
1 cup (200g) feta cheese, drained, broken into chunks
1 small handful fennel tops (optional), torn

Method

1.

To make the pastry, pulse the flour, butter and salt in a food processor to the consistency of breadcrumbs. With the motor running, steadily add 1/2 cup (125ml) chilled water, stopping as soon as the dough comes together. Remove the dough, knead it a couple of times, then wrap it in baking paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2.

While the pastry is in the fridge, make the filling. Place a large, heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat and add the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the onion, garlic, coriander and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring regularly, for 10-12 minutes until the onion is soft and fragrant. Add the pumpkin, tomato, lentils and rosemary, and stir well. Pour over the stock, stir again, and bring up to the simmer. Reduce the heat a little and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-55 minutes until the pumpkin starts to break down, the lentils are soft and have thickened the sauce nicely and everything looks godly. Season, taste and season some more, then stir in the parsley and chives, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3.

Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge about 30 minutes before you intend to bake the pie. Heat the oven to 200°C.
4.

Grease and flour a 30 x 20cm pie dish or something similar. On a floured surface roll out the pastry to 5mm thick as evenly as you can until you have a sheet large enough to line the base and sides of the dish with a good overhang. Spoon the filling into the lined dish. Push in the chunks of feta and fold the overhang up and over the edges to partly encase. Season with some flaky salt and some pepper, scatter over the torn fennel tops, if using, then bake for 40-50 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.