Jerk-spiced pumpkin pie

Description

Remember eating loads of vol-au-vents filled with mushrooms at parties? Well, this is Mr vol-au-vent's cooler elder brother. He's bigger, tastier and a whole lot more handsome.

Ingredients

12 x 15cm/6in circles of ready-rolled puff pastry
flour for dusting
2 eggs, beaten, for egg wash
2 plantains, peeled and sliced
vegetable oil, for roasting and frying
fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
For the filling
vegetable oil
600g/1lb 5oz butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 heaped tbsp jerk seasoning
a handful of spinach leaves, well washed and drained
100g/3½oz toasted flaked almonds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the curry sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 heaped tbsp mild curry paste
400ml/14fl oz can coconut milk
100ml/3½fl oz vegetable stock

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Cut a 7.5cm/3in circle out of the middle of six of the pastry circles. Put the whole pastry circles on a floured baking sheet and sit a cut one of the same size on top of each. Brush with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and dry. Remove the pie cases from the oven.
2. For the filling, pour some oil in a tin and heat to smoking, either in the oven or on the hob. Add the squash and shake around for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle on the jerk seasoning and mix well. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes until soft with a little crispness on the outside. Remove from the tin and put to one side. Pour the oil into a pan and fry the spinach and almonds, then season and add to the squash. Divide the fillling between the pie cases and warm through in the oven for five minutes.
3. For the curry sauce, heat the oil in a pan and fry the paste until fragrant, then add the coconut milk and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes.
4. Fry the plantain slices gently in oil until golden on each side, then keep them warm.
5. Sit a pie on each plate, spoon over just enough sauce to cover the ingredients, not to swamp them, top with a few slices of the plantain and garnish with coriander to serve.