A tart so good you’ll be roasting pumpkins all winter

This dish started as a way to use up leftover roast pumpkin, but it was so delicious that I now roast pumpkin just for the occasion.

A pumpkin and feta tart is beautifully seasonal. Photo: Nikki To / TWAM

This pumpkin and agrodolce onion tarte tatin is a savoury take on the classic sweet French tart, though this sounds much fancier than it is. Really, it’s just an upside-down tart made with cooked-down onions and roast pumpkin (I use butternut), finished with a salty bite of feta. We’re even taking the shortcut of store-bought puff pastry (but I do recommend using an all butter one; Carême is my favourite). Agrodolce, the Italian version of sweet and sour, takes the place of the caramel that usually coats the apples in a traditional tarte tatin. This dish started as a way to use up leftover roast pumpkin, but it was so delicious that I now roast pumpkin just for the occasion. If you’ve got leftover roast veg, you can use that too – just make sure there’s enough to cover the pan in a single layer.

Try too my pumpkin soup with harissa and honey.

Pumpkin and feta tart. Photo: Nikki To / TWAM

A delicious use of seasonal veg. Photo: Nikki To / TWAM

Pumpkin & feta tart

Ingredients

• 500g butternut pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 red onions, very finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 sheet puff pastry, big enough to cover the top of the frying pan
• 1 egg, whisked, or ¼ cup of milk

• 60g hard feta

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan-forced). Cut the pumpkin into slices about 1cm thick. (I don’t usually bother peeling as I like the chewy, toasty finish it gives, but if you’d rather peel it, or if the skin is particularly thick, go for it.) Toss the slices in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Spread them out in a single layer on a tray and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until softened. You can do this step ahead of time, but the pumpkin can also go straight from the oven into the pan while it’s still hot.
2. Using a mandoline, food processor or a steady hand, very finely slice the onion to about 2mm thick. Place a heavy-based, ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Toss in the onions with remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Give it a stir; it will bubble, and the onions will turn pink. Cook, stirring now and then, for another 5 minutes, or until sticky and all the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat and nestle the roasted pumpkin slices into the hot onion mix in a single layer.
4. Now, move quickly: drape the puff pastry over the pan, tucking the edges snugly down the sides like you’re putting it to bed. Brush with beaten egg or milk then bake for 25-30 minutes, until puffed and golden.
5. Once out of the oven, take a deep breath and, with a mix of care and confidence, swiftly flip the tart out onto a board. Crumble over the feta and serve in slices.

Serves 4-6