Miso Squash and Chard Pie

method:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a 20cm-deep, round springform cake tin with butter.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a round about 3mm thick and line your tin with it, making sure that the edges of the pastry stand a little proud above the rim of the tin. Trim the edges to even it out, and prick the base all over with a fork, then chill the pastry case in the fridge for 30 minutes. Don’t be tempted to skip this step, as it helps to prevent the pastry from shrinking when baked.
• Line the pastry case with a piece of non-stick baking paper and fill it with dried beans, uncooked rice or ceramic baking beans. Bake the pastry case for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and baking beans or rice, then bake the pastry case for a further 10 minutes to ensure that the base is cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• To make the filling, arrange the squash cubes in an even layer in a roasting tin. Mix the miso, peanut butter, lime juice, sunflower and sesame oils and honey together in a small mixing bowl and drizzle over the squash. Toss to combine and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 25–30 minutes or until a sharp knife passes through the squash easily and the edges are starting to catch.
• Blitz one-quarter of the roasted squash in a food processor until smooth, then scrape into a mixing bowl with the remaining chunky squash.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and sauté over a medium heat, stirring regularly, for 8–10 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the fennel seeds and chilli flakes, reduce the heat to low and gently toast the spices for less than a minute.
• Chop the chard stalks into 1cm pieces, add to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Shred the chard leaves and add these too, cooking them until wilted. Mix the chard mixture into the squash and stir the beaten eggs through until thoroughly combined, then spoon the filling into the cooled pastry case.
• To make the brittle, mix the sesame oil, soy and honey together in a mixing bowl, then stir in the seeds to coat. Drizzle the brittle mixture over the top of the pie and bake for 30 minutes, until set.
• Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes before carefully releasing from the tin.