Squash Mac & Cheese Pie

Serves: 8

Ready in: 60 mins +

What could be better than comforting macaroni and cheese? Encasing it in a flaky pastry crust, of course!

Ingredients
Method

Ingredients:

1 butternut or queen squash (about 1kg), peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
5 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp pul biber (Turkish dried chilli flakes), or ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
½ tsp salt
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
400g dried macaroni
75g unsalted butter, melted
9 sheets (2 packets) of filo pastry, defrosted and kept covered in a clean tea towel, if frozen
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the white sauce:

50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
750ml milk
⅛ whole nutmeg, grated
150g Cheddar cheese, grated

method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Toss the squash with three tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, garlic, herbs, chilli flakes and salt in a roasting tin, and roast for 40 minutes, turning twice during this time, until the squash is charred at the edges and soft to the point of a knife. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, keeping the oven on. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the rosemary. Pop the garlic cloves out of their skins into a food processor along with the roasted squash and onion and the mustard, and blitz until the vegetables have broken down. While the processor is running on a high speed, pour in the remaining olive oil and blend until smooth.
For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over a medium heat for about a minute, stirring regularly, until the mixture has turned a shade darker and smells toasty. Gradually add the milk and the nutmeg, and whisk continuously until the sauce has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Cheddar and stir until it has melted. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the macaroni and boil for six minutes until al dente. Scoop out a mugful of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta in a colander, then return the pasta to the pan with the reserved water and stir well. Add the squash mixture and cheese sauce and stir until all the macaroni is evenly coated.
Brush the base and sides of a 23cm-round springform cake tint with melted butter to grease. Drape a sheet of filo pastry over the tin, pushing it into the sides and down to the base, allowing any excess to overhang the edges. Brush the first sheet of filo with melted butter, then turn the tin 90° and add another sheet. Brush with butter and repeat with another five sheets. Pour the macaroni mixture into the centre of the tin. Drape the overhanging filo over the top of the mixture, brushing each sheet with melted butter as you go. Top with the remaining two sheets of filo to cover the centre of the pie and brush with melted butter. Bake the pie for 30–35 minute,s until the filo is deep-golden in colour.
Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes before releasing it from the tin, by which point it will be much easier to slice.

Print Recipe www.higgidy.co.uk/