roasted vegetable pithivier

a pithivier is a very easy pie to make – a disc of puff pastry laid on a tray then topped with your cooked filling, a larger disc of pastry placed on top, the edges sealed and all brushed with egg or milk for a shiny finish, before being cooked in the oven for around half an hour, so the pastry can cook through and the filling heat up.

i was inspired to make this by a recipe for a version filled with roasted apple and shallots with blue cheese. i needed to use up some vegetables that were looking a little sorry for themselves – a few courgettes and a red pepper – so decided on a roasted vegetable and cheese version. i added a sweet potato to provide a softer more comforting texture (squash would also have been nice), some red onion plus chilli and garlic. grated cheese (including some ricotta), fresh thyme and seasoning were the next additions. the mix looked a little dry so i added half a tin of chopped tomatoes and that was it.

half an hour at 180c and the pie was ready. it looks a bit messy as i was stretching my pastry (a 270g pack of butter puff pastry) a little further than i should have so the base crumbled as i lifted it from the tray. no matter, it tasted lovely with a rocket and beetroot salad on the side. best of all, half the pie was leftover and will be my lunch over the next few days.

i have a fancy for making a sweet version some time soon – dusting the top with a little sugar for crunch – perhaps with flavours similar to this plum and almond galette, which is a similarly rough and ready tart.