by Fiona Sims from The Boat Cookbook (Bloomsbury)
Come the autumn, when squash & pumpkin are abundant, my recipes gravitate towards the sweet, orange-fleshed vegetables. An American Thanksgiving classic, pumpkin pie is hard to beat but oddly jarring to the British palate – we tend to like our squash dishes savoury. So with that in mind I’ve created this version & haven’t looked back, taking full advantage of the convenience that its sweeter cousin enjoys by using time-saver (Libby’s) tinned pumpkin purée. Serve with a crisp, green salad.
Serves 4
Prep time: 20mins + 20mins chilling
Cooking time: 45mins
Ingredients
250g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry, chilled.
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, peeled & finely chopped (preferably in a food processor)
2 large free-range eggs
425g tin pumpkin purée
150g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted, save 10g to sprinkle on the top
340ml evaporated milk
salt & pepper
Method
Roll out the pastry & line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin with it. Leave to chill for 20 mins. Preheat the oven to 200C/ fan 180C/ gas 6. Blind bake the pastry for 15 mins & set aside. Turn down the oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ gas4. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion & soften until translucent. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin purée, softened onion, Parmesan & pine nuts & combine. Stir in the evaporated milk & season. Tip into the pastry case & cook for 30 mins, or until set. Leave to cool a little before turning out. Serve warm or at room temperature & sprinkle 5g of pine nuts over the top.