Courgette, Leek and Feta Pie

There are times when I find inspiration from what needs to be used up most urgently in my refrigerator. This pie was born from just that experience one Saturday evening. 

The key to this pie is sautéing the courgette and leeks in advance of baking the pie. The other little trick is to add a tablespoon of risotto rice in the bottom of the pie to absorb the extra liquid produced by the juicy courgette. Once baked you don't even notice the texture of the rice.

Courgette, Leek and Feta Pie

2 thin young courgette (zucchini), sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 T chopped dill
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 heaped T risotto rice
handful cherry tomatoes (optional)
5 eggs
2 T creme fraiche (in the US use sour cream)
salt
pepper
All butter puff pastry block (ready made is fine)

First a word about cleaning leeks. Slice the leek down the length and run tap water away from the root. This will allow any grit or dirt to run out of it. Slice into semi-circles.

Sautee the courgette and leek in a large pan until soft and slightly browned. 

Roll out the puff pastry into a large square and lay it over a ceramic pie plate. Let the pastry hang over the sides to flip over the top of the pie once assembled.

To assemble the pie, sprinkle the risotto rice on the bottom of the pie, cover with half of the dill and the cooled courgette and leek mixture. Add the crumbled feta, remaining dill and cherry tomatoes (optional). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember the feta has some salt in it, so adjust it accordingly. 

Beat the eggs and creme fraiche together. Pour all but 1 T of the egg mixture over the pie. Fold the sides up leaving a steam hole in the middle of the pie. Brush the reserved egg and cream fraiche over the pastry. This will give it a lovely browned finish once it has baked. 

Bake at 180 C or 375 F for 45 minutes. Check on the pie part way through, as you might need to protect it with a bit of foil to prevent it burning. To check to see if it is cooked, give the pie a little jiggle. If it feels firm, the egg will have set. If you see any liquid through the steam hole, bake it for another 5-10 minutes. 

Allow the pie to cool a bit before serving it with a green salad tossed with a light vinaigrette. The acidity of the salad is a nice balance to the sweetness of the courgette and leeks. It also can be served cold on buffet or at a picnic.

Let me know what you think! It goes quickly.