Kolokithopita (savoury Greek pumpkin pie)

Makes approximately 16-20 pieces Created by chef Ilona Daniel 3 cups pumpkin puree 1.5 cups diced onion, sautéed and cooled 1 cup cooked kale or spinach, cooled and all water squeezed out 1 cup feta, crumbled ¼ cup mint, cut into rough ribbons 3 tbsp fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried 1 tsp ground nutmeg 2 eggs Salt and Pepper to taste 1 cup olive oil and ½ cup melted butter combined for brushing the phyllo layers. Additional egg for egg wash and chopped pumpkin seeds for sprinkling over the top of the phyllo triangles. Pre-heat the oven 375 C

For the filling:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree with the onions, kale, feta, herbs, nutmeg, eggs and season to taste.

To assemble:

Cut filo pastry sheet into 6 long strips. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in one corner of pastry, leaving a 1cm border. Don’t overfill triangles or they will split.

Gently lift pastry corner with filling and fold tightly diagonally to create a triangle (take care not to tear pastry). Continue folding, retaining triangle shape.

Place triangles on a tray lined with baking paper. If making a large quantity, cover already-prepared triangles with a damp tea towel to prevent them drying out.

Place triangles on a parchment lined baking sheet. You will need two baking sheets to avoid over-crowding. Brush the tops of the triangles with the egg wash, then sprinkle with finely chopped pumpkin seeds if desired.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is hot. Alternatively, the triangle can be frozen and baked as desired. Baking time may have to be increased by up to 5 minutes.

Chef Ilona Daniel’s food column, Food Seductress, runs on the last Thursday of each month. She welcomes comments from readers by email at chef.ilona.daniel@ gmail.com or on twitter: Twitter.com/ chef_ilona.