- 1kg/2lb 3oz butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1.5cm/½in cubes
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 12 sage leaves, shredded
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 800g/1lb 12oz ready-made puff pastry
- 120g/4oz pecans, toasted
- 500g/1lb ricotta
- 4 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
- 1 free-range egg
- pinch salt
- 3 tbsp flour, plus extra for dusting
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Mix the butternut squash, onion, olive oil and the sage together, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place inside the lined baking tray.
- Roast until the squash is cooked (when a knife goes through it easily), then take from the oven and leave to cool.
- Divide the pastry in half and roll each half out to a 60x20cm/24x8in rectangle on a lightly dusted work surface. Using a 20cm/8in diameter plate as a template, cut out three rounds from each piece. Lay these on a baking sheet and put in the fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes.
- Once the butternut squash has cooled, tip it into a large bowl and mix in the pecans, ricotta and pumpkin seed oil, making sure you don't crush the squash.
- Take the pastry rounds from the fridge and allow them to come up to room temperature.
- Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and brush the pastry completely on one side with the egg-wash – it'll be easier to do this one piece at a time.
- Take one-sixth of the butternut squash mixture and dollop it in the centre of a pastry round, then carefully fold the pastry in half, making sure the filling is enclosed.
- Dip a fork in the flour and use it to press down and seal the edges. Try to squeeze out excess air as you do this – otherwise it can make the pastie pop open in the heat of the oven. As you finish each pastie, place it on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Brush the remaining egg-wash over the pasties and prick each one several times with the fork.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and cooked through.
- Serve straight out of the oven or leave them to cool and take on a picnic.