Vegan butternut squash pie recipe

This warming spiced pie is made with a vegan pie crust. It’s just as good eaten the next day – leftovers make a great lunch with a dollop of mango chutney or extra harissa swirled into coconut yogurt

Methods

1. For the pastry, whizz together the flour, turmeric, plant block and a pinch of fine sea salt in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp breadcrumbs. Add 3-4 tbsp of ice-cold water and pulse again until it comes together into a ball. Cover and chill.
2. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions for 10 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and ginger, and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the spices and toast for a few seconds until fragrant, then stir in the chickpeas, squash, harissa and stock. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is tender. Stir in the spinach, season well and cook for 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
3. Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Cut off a third of the pastry and set aside. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured worksurface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a 23cm springform cake tin, leaving the excess overhanging the rim. Spoon in the filling. Roll out the remaining pastry into a 23cm circle, then use a little of the plant milk to attach it to the pastry base. Crimp the edges to seal and trim any excess using a serrated knife. Brush with the remaining milk and cut a steam hole in the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp, and the filling is piping hot throughout. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove to a serving plate and cut into wedges.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 butternut squash, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes (700g prepared weight)
• 2 tbsp harissa
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 150g spinach
• steamed greens or salad, to serve

PASTRY

• 500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 250g vegan baking block, cubed
• 2 tbsp plant milk