Savoury pumpkin pie
Use a ripe orange fleshed pumpkin for this dish and make sure to drain the pumpkin well before puréeing.
(serving six)
Chop the pumpkin into small chunks and boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes. Place it in a colander and leave to drain for at least three to four hours, but preferably overnight. Push the pumpkin pupl through a vegetable mill or through a sieve into a bowl.
Chop the onion and sauté in a olive oil until it is tender and transparent. Add to the pumpkin and stir in a couple of handfuls of the breadcrumbs. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the ricotta, the Parmesan and marjoram and season with salt, pepper and some freshly ground nutmeg.
Stir the egg mixture into the pumpkin, mixing well. Roll out the pastry and line a buttered 23 cm round pie dish or spring-form pan so that pastry comes 5 cm or so up the side of the pan. Pour in the pumpkin mixture, allow the edges of the pastry to roll over and cover the filling slightly at the edges. Scatter the remaining breadcrumbs over the top of the pie, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 200°C for 40 minutes or until pie is cooked in the centre. Serve warm or cold, but not too hot.
