The secret to the delicious flavour of this pie is the extra virgin olive oil based home made filo and the roasting of the butternut squash before using. I cut it in slices, remove the seeds and central part and roast drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil, with a few cloves of garlic – make sure you remove these half way through cooking) rosemary and thyme.
When the butternut squash is cooked, peel the slices and chop in small pieces to use in the filling.
Ingredients
For the filo
- 500 g plain flour
- 10 g salt
- 15 ml vinegar
- 40 ml olive oil
- 260–280 ml lukewarm water
For the filling
- 500g cooked butternut squash
- 200g feta, crumbled
- 2 eggs
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- Salt and black pepper
- 6–8 sheets filo pastry
- Extra olive oil for brushing
Method
To make the filo, put all the ingredients (apart from the water) in a bowl and start mixing while slowly adding the water until you have a soft but not sticky dough.
Knead for 10-12 minutes and make a thick sausage. Cut into 8 equal parts and roll each one in your hands to form 8 balls. Rub with a little extra virgin oil, cover and leave to rest for at least an hour and a half. Flour a work surface generously and roll out the filo as thin as you can.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Gently cook the onion in olive oil until soft and sweet.
Mix with cooked butternut squash with the feta, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
Layer 4 sheets of oiled filo in a tray, spoon in the filling and top with the last four filo sheets.
Brush with olive oil and bake until crisp and golden (about 40 minutes).