Tag Archives: Feta cheese

Butternut Squash & Feta Pie

Blog, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , , , ,

I wrote this recipe to accompany as article I wrote for Essence Magazine about the Plough Inn in Coldharbour near Dorking in Surrey. They have some pies on their seasonal menu and also to sell in their small but perfectly stocked village shop. Sometimes pie fillings for me are a bit gloopy so I decided to use roasted butternut squash in mine and instead of a sauce or gravy I used creme fraiche. This worked really well and the resulting tart is now a family favourite. Its satisfying, tasty and perfect for entertaining non meat eaters. I finished my pie with pastry leaves using a maple leaf cutter I have in my rather large collection. I always used the excuse that I needed to buy different cutters for food styling which was really only half true.

1 butter nut squash (approx 750g), peeled and flesh cut into 1-2 cm chunks
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
A pinch smoked Maldon sea salt
2 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped
1x200g pack feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
A handful of chia or poppy seeds to garnish

I x 375g pack ready-rolled short crust pastry (feel free to make your own here I usually do but being time poor on this occasion I cheated)

Pre-heat the oven to 180°c fan / 200°c /gas mark 5

Prepare the butternut squash and place in the mixing bowl with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and mix well to evenly coat. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile using the leftover oil pan fry the onions until softened and leave to cool. Mix the butternut squash and onions together in a mixing bowl, add the crumbled feta cheese, crème fraiche and herbs. Mix together and leave on one side while you prepare the pastry case. I used a rectangular tin, measuring 10cm x 32cm this, but a round or square tin works just as well. Line the tray with pastry and fill with the butternut squash filling. Use the leftover pastry to create a lid using one whole piece to cover or cut shapes to create a pattern. Brush the pastry with egg or milk and sprinkle with some chia or poppy seeds.

Bake in a medium hot oven for 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown.

Cool slightly before serving with a tossed green salad.

Beetroot and Feta Dip

Blog, Local producer, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , , , ,

I like to do veggie packed snacks for pre-dinner drinks or quick lunches. I have been making beetroot hummus for a while now so when I was deciding what to do with my latest bunch of roasted beetroot I decided to do something different. A pack of feta unused in the fridge and memory of beetroot and feta burgers from a food styling session was the trigger I needed. This is so simple it’s really a kitchen sketch than a proper recipe. The variations could be endless too. I used chioggia beetroot that is home grown at Secretts in Milford, which is why it has a delicate pink hue but any beetroot would work. Although these candy stripe beetroot are gorgeous looking raw you lose the stripe when they are cooked but the flavour is sweet. Roasted beets are superior as they are not as watery as boiled so give a more robust texture to the finished dip. The beetroots can be roasted the day before.

Ingredients

I large bunch of Chioggia beetroot, scrubbed
1 x 200g pack of feta, reserve 50g for the garnish
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 dessertspoons of natural yogurt
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, remove the leaves and discard the stems
Freshly ground black pepper
To garnish
The reserved feta cheese crumbled or finely cubed
A drizzle of rapeseed oil
Some fresh herbs (I used blackcurrant sage flowers)
Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5/ 200°C /Fan 180°C

Place the beetroot in a roasting tin and cover with foil. Roast until tender approximately 40mins to 1hr. Leave to cool in the tin. Remove the skins they should just slide off with the help of a sharp knife.

Chop the beetroot roughly and place in a food processor with the feta, lemon juice and 2 spoons of yogurt. Process until smooth and add more yogurt if the mixture is too thick. Add the herbs and pepper and blitz just to combine. Test the seasoning you shouldn’t need salt as the feta should be enough. But suit your own taste here.

Using a silicone spatula, heap the dip into a serving dish and make a swirly pattern on the top with a metal spoon. Place the reserved feta in the centre and then garnish with herbs and finish with a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Serve with crudités, warm pitta or bread sticks.