Pumpkin and Feta Pie: step-by-step recipe

Prepare the ingredients according to the list. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cut the cold butter into cubes. The water for the dough should be very cold, it's better to put it briefly in the refrigerator. The feta cheese in this pie recipe can be replaced with blue cheese if you prefer it.

Wash and dry the pumpkin, then cut it into medium-sized pieces, removing the seeds. The skin can be left on. Arrange the pumpkin pieces in a suitable baking dish or tray. Bake in the oven for 35-60 minutes. The baking time will depend on the size of the pieces and the type of pumpkin. You can increase the temperature to 220 degrees, then the process will take less time.

While the pumpkin is baking, prepare the pie dough. To do this, place the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the cubes of butter in the bowl of a food processor. Process until you have fine crumbs with the butter. Transfer to a large bowl. You can also cut the butter into the flour using a knife, but using a food processor makes it much easier and more convenient.

Separate the yolk from the egg white (the white is not needed in this recipe, you can transfer it to a small container and store it in the refrigerator). Add the yolk to the bowl with the buttery crumbs and gradually pour in the water, quickly knead the dough. You may need less water. The dough should come together well into a ball.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten it slightly, and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes. This dough can stay in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or it can be frozen for up to 2 months and used as needed. You can also flavor the dough for this pie by adding thyme leaves, grated nutmeg, or a pinch of turmeric to the food processor bowl along with the flour and butter.

Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the baked pumpkin and puree it until smooth. Allow it to cool slightly. You can bake a large pumpkin and freeze any excess puree.

Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 4-5 mm.

Line the bottom of a baking form (in this recipe, a removable form with a diameter of 18 cm was used, but you can also use a larger form) with parchment paper. Place the rolled out dough in the form, pressing it to the bottom and forming the edges. Trim off any excess dough. By the way, you can use these trimmings to create small decorations for the pie.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and fill it with a dry weight (such as beans, peas, or special baking beads). Place it in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.

For the filling, mix the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, and remaining eggs. Season with salt and pepper, and add thyme leaves. Mix everything thoroughly.

Remove the parchment with the weight, spread the filling and sprinkle with feta cheese (crumble with hands or cut into cubes). Bake at 180 degrees for 45-60 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on the diameter of the mold and the thickness of the filling layer.

The pumpkin and feta pie is ready. Enjoy your meal!

You can also prepare a sweet pumpkin pie using the same principle. To do this, add 1-1.5 tablespoons of sugar to the dough in a food processor along with the flour. In this case, for the filling, excluding thyme, salt, and pepper, you can add ground cinnamon or any other spices to your liking, as well as powdered sugar or condensed milk.