Moroccan spiced pie

Moroccan spiced pie

The perfect showpiece to your Christmas Day meal - and it's suitable for veggies

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 35 mins

Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Dry fry the seeds briefly in a small pan over a medium heat until toasty - don't let them burn. Grind coarsely using a pestle and mortar (or a bowl and the end of a rolling pin), then mix in the paprika, cinnamon, 1⁄2 tsp salt and 4 tbsp oil. Tip the squash into a roasting tin, pour over the spiced oil and toss. Roast for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to brown. Stir in the ginger and 100g/4oz each almonds and pistachios.When brown, toss in the cranberries, 2 tbsp honey, and the spinach so it wilts. Take off the heat and stir into the squash, when it comes out of the oven. Set aside.
  3. In a food processor, whizz the chickpeas with the garlic, cumin, remaining oil, lemon juice, 2 tbsp water and salt and pepper to make houmous. Stir in the coriander.
  4. Melt the butter in a small pan. Put a loose-bottomed 28cm quiche tin on a baking sheet and brush with some butter. Keeping the filo covered with a damp cloth so it doesn't dry out, lay one sheet over half of the tin so that it hangs over the edge by about 10cm. Lay another sheet on the other side, so it overlaps the first in the centre and hangs over the opposite edge. Brush with butter. Lay two more filo sheets in the opposite direction in the same way and brush with more butter.
  5. Build up two more layers in this way, so you use a total of eight sheets of filo. Pile half the squash mixture in the centre of the pastry. Spread over the houmous and then the rest of the squash mixture.One at a time, bring the edge of each filo sheet up to the centre to cover the filling, creating voluptuous folds as you go. Brush carefully with more butter. (If making a day ahead, cover now with cling film and chill. To reheat, remove the pie from the fridge, heat the oven, then bake for 35-40 minutes.)
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crisp and golden. Just before the pie is ready, reheat any remaining butter in the pan, tip in the rest of the nuts and fry until golden. Spoon in the 4 remaining tbsps of honey and, when it melts, take off the heat and pour over the pie. Serve with Harissa yogurt sauce (mix the yogurt and milk together to make a thin sauce, stir in the herbs and season. Swirl in harissa to taste) and lemon wedges.

Per serving

987 kcalories, protein 21g, carbohydrate 82g, fat 66 g, saturated fat 15g, fibre 7g, sugar 13g, salt 1.64 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, Vegetarian Christmas 2006.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo katie

    2007-11-19 11:05:52.234406

    katie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    delicious! - worth the work that goes into it

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  • Binder photo ange

    2007-11-28 13:08:02.394767

    ange rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Betsy

    2007-12-06 17:57:56.218686

    Betsy commented on this recipe

    I haven't made it yet but I have veggies coming for Christmas so will definitely try it. Does anyone know if it will freeze?

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  • Binder photo Tracey Moon

    2007-12-07 21:35:07.480224

    Tracey Moon rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    i made this last year for the xmas youth dinner at church as the veggie option and everyone loved it so much i'm making it again this year as well

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  • Binder photo Tracey Moon

    2007-12-07 21:36:54.996539

    Tracey Moon commented on this recipe

    oh just to add if you can buy ready shelled pistachios as otherwise your fingers are nearly falling off by the end of shelling but still well worth the effort

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  • Binder photo Fiz

    2007-12-18 20:20:52.052493

    Fiz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    really tasty and looks very impressive

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  • Binder photo Jess

    2007-12-26 10:04:04.763482

    Jess commented on this recipe

    Did this as the veggie alternative at Christmas and it went down a storm, even with the meat-eaters. So colourful and so many different flavours too. Didn't do the topping as i ran out of time but it was great as it was - the harissa sauce makes it.

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  • Binder photo Jess

    2007-12-26 10:04:32.541424

    Jess rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo becky

    2008-01-04 08:33:04.373406

    becky commented on this recipe

    Made this on Boxing Day but with chestnuts instead of the other nuts and had to make shortcrust pastry for the top as when I opened the filo pastry it was mouldy. was well worth the effort though as it all got gobbled up

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  • Binder photo Lisa

    2008-01-27 08:19:11.3913

    Lisa rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Took a while to make, but i think you would get to know the recipe after few goes so it wouldn't take as long. My husband was very dubious and ready to go and get a chinese, but it was stunning. So many flavours, he even said it was better than the veggie version that M&S used to make. Might try and make half the amount next time as it was just for us and make 2 individual ones in yorkshire pudding tins instead.

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  • Binder photo Janie

    2008-04-17 17:14:19.400145

    Janie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Just delicious. will make again often, well worth the time it takes!

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  • Binder photo GJ

    2008-07-27 03:26:43.592028

    GJ rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a great recipe. Although we're not vegetarian, this is now a fixture at Christmas dinner alongside the turkey. We've been making this every year since the recipe appeared in the magazine. The leftovers are also brilliant the next day.

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  • Binder photo CHC

    2008-07-28 18:07:56.584354

    CHC rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this receipe but was a bit worried about the fat content so I did a few things to bring it down. I only put about 2 tbs of oil into the humous and it was still very tasty. I also cut the nuts down and put in 50g of each and I still thought it was plenty. And I also fried and roasted the veg in a little less oil than recommended so I reckon I cut out about 150-200g of fat from the whole pie in the end. And it was very tasty. Also, there were no shallots in the whole of Oxford so I substituted with red onion and I thought it worked very well. Yum.

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  • Binder photo shirley martin

    2008-08-14 13:39:10.322686

    shirley martin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    made this when we had some friends round for dinner. people raved about this for days after and everyone wants me to make it again. worth the effort.

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  • Binder photo MelRyan

    2008-09-10 16:50:55.262953

    MelRyan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've made this twice at Christmas. The first time just for my husband and myself (and yes, it does freeze!), but the second time for guests. I was going to cook something different just for variety, but my husband begged me to make that pie again. It went down a storm with our guests and they went home clutching a copy of the recipe. I agree though: Get ready shelled pistachios if you can.

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  • Binder photo SCRUMMY

    2008-09-25 19:02:09.775844

    SCRUMMY commented on this recipe

    I'm going to make this for a dinner party on Saturday. What would you suggest I serve with it?

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  • Binder photo CatCooks

    2008-10-27 10:43:59.171516

    CatCooks rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious! To cut down the time and effort involved (and because there was no filo pastry in my nearest 3 supermarkets!) i was reduced to changing the whole thing to a shortcrust pastry open pie experiment. The filling was versatile enough to take the abuse, and it meant i skipped steps 4-6 and just had to blind bake the pie crust for 5 mins, layer up the squash mix and houmous, and pop the pie in the oven for 30-35 mins. (served with oven roasted root veg and red onions)

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  • Binder photo carole

    2008-11-07 18:49:16.52055

    carole rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic! I made this last year for myself and my sister in law, for our Christmas meal. I'm veggie, and so is she but she also dislikes mushrooms and cheese (usual veggie alternatives). All the meat eaters tried some and at the end of the meal it was all gone! Only problem I have now is trying to upstage it this Christmas!!

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  • Binder photo Clare

    2008-11-11 11:55:05.734771

    Clare commented on this recipe

    Great recipe. I always use shortcrust. I usually blitz the shallots as dont like chunks of onion. Have used the filling to make small pasties for parties. Ive also used it with bread dough (roll out, pile on filling, then roll up and cook as a loaf) Chilled overnight, then sliced, it makes a lovely spicy sandwich for a picnic.

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  • Binder photo carole

    2008-11-14 09:42:11.296258

    carole rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I spotted this yesterday and it made my mouth water looking at it and reading the reviews so just had to make it, I didn't change a thing and it is wonderful, it looks beautiful and has such a range of flavours it would not fail to impress. It would make a stunning centrepice for a vegi xmas but appeals to carnivores too, lovely.

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 35 mins

Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Ingredients

FOR THE HARISSA YOGURT SAUCE

  • 200g carton Greek yogurt
  • 6 tbsp milk
  • 3 large sprigs mint , leaves chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp harissa paste
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Per serving

987 kcalories, protein 21g, carbohydrate 82g, fat 66 g, saturated fat 15g, fibre 7g, sugar 13g, salt 1.64 g

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