Butternut & Feta Filo Pie with Sweet Pickled Chillies

WOW your friends and family with this delicious centre-piece worthy pie!

The filling of salty feta, caramelised onions and roasted butternut is encased in buttery filo pastry and served alongside a sweet chilli pickle, pure bliss.

I could eat this all day. For an INSTAGRAM visual – click here 

Seasonal Swaps: you can roast sweet potatoes instead

A good menu

Serve this Butternut & Feta Filo Pie with the following for a fab lunch or dinner!

Recipe adapted from Ottolenghi – Extra Good Things

Butternut & Feta Filo Pie with Sweet Pickled Chillies

A SHOW-STOPPING veggie centre piece! It's easy to make and one recipe that I come back to, over and over again.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 23cm spring-form cake tin

Ingredients
  

  • 6-10 sheets filo pastry one packet
  • 100 g unsalted butter melted
  • icing sugar for dusting
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions peeled, halved and sliced
  • 5 g sage leaves finely chopped
  • 10 g parsley finely chopped
  • 150 g greek feta crumbled
  • zest of 2 small lemons
  • small butternut 650g, peeled, halved, deseeded and cut into 1 1/2cm half moons
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • salt & pepper

Sweet Pickled Chillies

  • 2 mild red chillies thinly sliced, keep the seeds if mild, remove is you are not sure
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200c. Line the cake tin with baking paper. (you can cut a square piece of baking paper, scrunch this up, and add to the tin, ideally with sides overhanging)
  • First, make the filling by heating 3 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onions, pinch of salt and cook the onions, covered, on a gentle heat until caramelised, this will take some time, around 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, let the onions cool slightly and add the herbs, feta, 2 pinches salt and lemon zest, combine and season generously with pepper. Have a taste and season with more salt, zest or pepper.
  • While the onions are cooking, line a large baking tray with baking paper, add the butternut, 3 tablespoons oil, the cinnamon and season well with pepper and salt, toss this all together. Roast for 20 minutes or until the butternut is tender, turning the pieces halfway. Set aside.
  • Lower the temperature to 170c – this is important! Make sure your butter is melted. Put the filo sheets under a slightly damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
  • Brush one sheet of filo with melted butter, transfer to the prepared cake tin (lined with baking paper) and gently press the sheet into the base of the tin, letting the excess hang over the sides. Repeat this process with 3 more sheets (4 in total), rotating them slightly when you press them into the tin, so the excess hangs over at different angles.
  • It’s time to fill the pie, place the squash pieces in the base of the pie, don’t worry if they overlap slightly. Top with the onion and feta mixture and press down (I used a small spatula) to compress the mixture.
  • Take another sheet of filo, brush with melted butter and place on top of the mixture, followed by another buttered filo sheet, start to scrunch up the overhand pieces to cover the filling completely and brush with the remaining pieces. The filling should be completely covered and not visible.
  • Place the tin on a flat baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden. Keep an eye on the top, if it looks like it is getting too much colour, cover with baking paper. This can be done well ahead, ready for the second bake just before serving.
  • Meanwhile make the pickled chillies. Put the vinegar, water and sugar in small saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolve, add to the mixture to the chillies and leave to cool.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and using an oven glove, release the outer ring, bake for another 25 minutes until golden all over. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a pretty plate. Finally dust with icing sugar and serve with the pickled chillies alongside.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was by tagging @adreskitchen on Instagram!