Author: HungryDad

This recipe looks a lot harder than it is. It’s really fairly simple and didn’t take that long to make. It was tasty too. I didn’t get quite as fancy as the original with the decorations, but it still looked nice. I don’t think it took quite as long to bake as listed, but it’s been a couple of weeks…I’m getting behind on adding recipes we’ve made.

Layered Squash, Barley and Spinach Pie

Adapted from BBC Good Food

For the filling:

• 1 small butternut squash (about 2lb), peeled and cubed
• 3 tbsp olive oil , plus a little extra for brushing
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup pearl barley,
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp  soy sauce
• zest 1 lemon
• 8oz ricotta
• 8oz soft cheese, I used mozzeralla
• 1 tsp dried sage, or a few fresh leaves chopped
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

For the pastry:

The original recipe has a crust recipe, but I used my own stand by…

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup butter
• 5-6 Tbs water

1. Heat oven to 400 F and roast the butternut squash with 1 tbsp oil for 25-30 mins until tender, then set aside.
2. Meanwhile, 2 Tbsp oil in a large pan and cook the onions and garlic for 10 mins until soft. Remove about 2/3 of the onions. Add the mushrooms and pearl barley to the pan. Sizzle for a few mins, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Bubble fiercely for 30 mins until the barley is tender and sticky and there is no liquid left. Stir in the soy sauce, season and set aside.
3. While the barley layer is cooking, make the other layers. Stir the zest, ricotta, soft cheese and a good amount of seasoning into the reserved onions until smooth. Take a third of the mixture and gently fold with the sage and roasted squash. Mix spinach into the remaining ricotta mixture with the parsley.
4. To make the pie, brush a bread loaf tin with a little oil. Make 3 long triple layer strips of foil and lay these across the width of the tin to help you lift out the pie to serve.
5. Roll out 2/3 of the pie dough and ease into the tin, pressing evenly into the corners and sides – you can be rough with it. Spoon in the spinach layer, smooth the surface, then repeat with the barley and finally the squash layer. Dome the squash mix slightly to give a rounded top. Roll out the remaining pastry to fit, brush the edges with some egg, then press the lid over the top. Trim the excess and crimp or pinch to seal, then decorate with pastry trimmings cut into leaves (add bay leaves, if using, when the pie has 30 mins left in the oven). Can be covered and chilled overnight.
6. Bake for 30 mins on a backing sheet, then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for another until the pastry is golden brown (30-60 minutes). Let stand for 15-20 mins. Use the foil strips to lift out carefully. Carry to the table and slice thickly to serve.