Post: Pithivier

Ingredients

• 1 whole butternut squash (1kg)
• olive oil
• 2 large leeks
• 1 knob of unsalted butter
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 400 g mixed mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons English mustard
• 1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (30g)
• 120 g blue cheese
• 2 x 320 g sheets of all-butter puff pastry (cold)
• 1 large free-range egg

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
2. Scrub, peel and de-seed the butternut squash, rub with 1 tablespoon of oil and wrap in tin foil. Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, then slice and season with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Meanwhile, halve, wash and finely slice the leeks, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter. Peel, finely slice and add the garlic and mushrooms, then cook for 15 minutes.
4. Pick, finely chop and stir in the parsley, crumble in the cheese, then season to perfection.
5. Line a 20cm bowl (8cm deep) with clingfilm. Arrange slices of butternut in and around the bowl until covered. Layer up the mushroom mix with the remaining butternut in the bowl, finishing with butternut.
6. Pull over the clingfilm, weigh it down with something heavy, and chill overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
8. On grease-proof paper, roll both sheets of pastry out to around 30cm x 35cm. Unwrap the filling parcel and place in the middle of one sheet.
9. Beat the egg and brush around the edge of the pastry and all over the butternut, then carefully lay the second piece of pastry on top, smoothing around the shape of the filling.
10. Trim the edges to 2.5cm, crimp to seal, then eggwash all over. Very lightly score the pastry (like in the picture), making a small hole in the top.
11. Bake at the bottom of the oven for 2 hours, or until beautifully golden, brushing with more eggwash once or twice. Delicious with dressed seasonal steamed greens.

Enjoy! This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Veg, Pithivier pie.

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