These garlicky pumpkin and sage pies with a delicious spiced pastry crust make a fab starter or light lunch. If you fancy bite-sized pies to serve as finger food, you could make these in a couple of mini-muffin trays.
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
Method
1.Preheat oven to 220°C/220°C. Oil six 10cm x 13cm oval pie tins.
2.Place pumpkin and garlic on baking paper-lined oven tray; drizzle with oil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tender. ( alternately microwave pumpkin on HIGH for 8 minutes or until tender and add crushed garlic prior to mashing) Transfer to large bowl; cool for 5 minutes. Squeeze garlic from skins. Mash pumpkin and garlic coarsely with a fork. Stir in eggs, cream, peas and sage; season.
3.Meanwhile, process flour, spices, butter and salt to taste until crumbly. Add egg yolk and most of the water; process until ingredients just come together. Enclose pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4.Divide pastry into 6 even pieces. Roll each piece between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line tins. Lift pastry into tins; press into side and trim edge. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
OR
Cut each pastry sheet in half diagonally. Lift pastry triangles into tins; press into side, trim edge.
5.Reduce oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Place tins on oven tray; cover pastry with baking paper and fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake a further 5 minutes or until pastry is browned lightly. Cool.
6.Fill pastry cases with pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled fetta and pine nuts. Bake for 25 minutes or until set and browned.
7.Serve quiches topped with relish.
You could also use 3 sheets of shortcrust pastry.
Quiches are suitable to freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating in a 180°C oven.
Note
