Golden filo tart with squash, chestnut & sage

This is such a lovely autumnal filo tart using one of my favourite seasonal stars – squash. We are used to seeing butternut squash in supermarkets all year round but the true squash season is in the autumn where you’ll find other interesting varieties and enjoy this delicious ingredient as its best. There are other seasonal options given as alternatives further down the page.

This tart is really simple to make and its warm vibrant colour makes it look so appetising. The herbal sage, sweet and nutty chestnuts and roast buttery squash set in a Parmesan egg filling, surrounded by a filo pastry case – hits the right notes on many levels. You could use the same filling with a buttery shortcrust pastry, too, but using the filo is super quick to prepare and also gives a satisfying crispy texture. There is no rolling or blind baking to contend with and it’s meant to look rustic – layer it up without too much precision and it still looks stunning!

Squash varieties
You could steam or simmer the squash but roasting it in oil with some seasoning really enhances the mild sweet and nutty flavour. And you get those caramelised edges which tastes so good! Look out for other squash varieties too: green hokkaido, winter sweet, crown prince and blue kuri all have amazing rich flavour and are the best varieties for roasting and work well in this recipe. Some varieties have thick skin and are challenging to prepare so a really sharp chef’s knife will make life easier. See my tip at the bottom of the recipe for preparing a butternut squash.

Squash and sage are a marriage made in heaven but you could switch up the herbs – rosemary, thyme or parsley. I’ve also tried this tart with other combinations of fillings – mushrooms, thyme and chestnut; roast Mediterranean vegetables with goat’s cheese; roast celeriac, garlic & rosemary; asparagus, broad bean and peas with dill; slow roast tomatoes and pesto; courgette, feta and mint… the options are plentiful so go with what’s in season and mix it up. This will be a tart you come back to time and time again and it’s a great casual option for when friend’s come round and served with a green salad and other sides.

TIP
Preparing a squash can sometimes be tricky. It’s essential to have a stable chopping board and sharp large chef’s knife for the job. Remove the root and tail end from the squash. Then chop the neck end off so you have two parts width ways, which makes it a lot easier to deal with. Use a Y peeler to peel the skin away.

Cut the bulb end in half and scoop out and discard the seeds, then slice into equal size wedges and then cut those into pieces. Place the neck end with the bottom flat end on your board so that it is table, then cut into equal size strips. Then dice into even size pieces. You’ll always have a few uneven pieces, which is unavoidable.