Savoury pumpkin pie

My inspiration for this dish was Anna Jones’s recipe for savoury gruyere and pumpkin pie from The Guardian. Initially I was planning to follow the recipe, but once I started making the dish, I changed quite a few things. On the day I couldn't find fresh sage in my local shops, so I thought that thyme would also be nice. I didn't use a pumpkin either, but a squash from my seasonal dining table decorations. First I wasn't fully sure, if this squash would be tasty, and started roasting it first to have a taste. And indeed, it was fine, so I decided to use that very squash. When I was well into the cooking, I wanted to add some potatoes, and plenty of cheese as well. Only I didn't have any gruyere, so it had to be Cheddar. This is it how it went on, and I'm not sure how much was left from Anna Jones' idea in the end, if anything.

The essence is that I wanted to make a savoury pie, because I enjoy them more than sweet ones, and I think that this was a very nice one. Maybe one day I'll have to follow Anna's recipe, though. Have a read in the article, if you're curious about her version. This recipe below is how I made the pie. I also skipped making own pastry this time, which made it a perfectly manageable weekday meal. I think that such a savoury pie could also be nice at the Christmas table.

Savoury pumpkin pie

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin or squash

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

2 garlic cloves

25 g butter

2-3 small potatoes

1 tbsp vegetable stock powder

Handful of fresh thyme

1 tsp smoked salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp cumin seeds

100 g grated Cheddar

250 g shortcrust pastry

Pumpkin seeds as decoration

Method

Peel the squash and cut it into small wedges. Brush the wedges with olive oil and roast in the oven.

Chop the onion and garlic finely, and start sautéeing the onion in the olive oil and butter mix until soft and browned.

Add the potatoes, peeled and sliced, followed by the vegetable stock powder and about one cup of water. Let simmer under lid until the potatoes are done and the liquid has mostly evaporated.

Add the seasoning, garlic and the squash and let simmer a while longer.

While the mixture is still hot, stir in the cheese and set to side to cool.

Spread the pastry on a pie dish and spread the filling in.

Bake at 180 C for about 30 minutes. Add the pumpkin seeds on the top towards the end, and return the pie to the oven for a few minutes more.

Let the pie set a little while before serving, and then enjoy!

Your VegHog