by Angela Marshall

This mixture can be used for dainty little filo pastry triangles to be served as finger food or made into a filo pastry log, baked and cut into servings or even tipped into a pie case.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

Pinch sea salt

200 g carrots, peeled and finely grated

250 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and coarsely grated

50 mls chicken (or veg) stock

1 egg, lightly beaten

150 g ricotta (try to avoid the rather wet ricotta sold in plastic pots – drain for a couple of hours if that’s all you can find)

40 g Manchego cheese (substitute Pecorino if unavailable)

Freshly ground black pepper

Filo pastry or pastry shell

Method:

Cook onion, sage and salt over low heat for about 10 minutes until onion is soft. Add grated carrot and pumpkin and cook for another 15 minutes until soft.

Add stock and cook until it has nearly evaporated. Leave to cool before adding egg, cheeses and pepper. Mix well.

If you are making finger food, wrap tablespoons of the mixture in sheets of buttered filo folded to make small triangles. Alternatively, lightly butter about five or six sheets of filo and place the mixture down the middle, tuck in the ends and form a log. Brush the outside of your pastries or log with butter and bake at 180º C for about 25-35 minutes until pastry is golden and filling feels firm. Otherwise, you can tip it into a pie dish lined with shortcrust pastry and bake as above. Serve hot or warm with a sharp dressed salad like rocket or mizuna.