Pork and pumpkin pie

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1kg orange pumpkin, peeled then cubed
• 500g puff pastry
• 300g long grain rice
• 1 beef cube
• 500g fresh pork, minced or cubed
• 4 rashers bacon
• 8 green olives, pitted and chopped
• 100g grated cheese (Parmesan, Grana Padano or Cheddar)
• Salt and pepper and seasoning (a pinch of chilli or herbs of your choice like fresh parsley and sage, or mixed dried herbs)
• Olive oil 
• Butter

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
2. Melt oil and butter in a large frying pan, and fry crushed garlic and chopped onion until soft. 
3. Add pumpkin pieces and continue cooking until pumpkin is soft and tinged with brown.
4. In a medium sized pan, fry chopped bacon and then add the minced or cubed pork and cook till all liquid evaporates.
5. Also in another pot, boil water and add the beef cube. 
6. Add the rice and cook for barely 10 mins until the rice is al dente. Strain. 
7. Add this together with the meats to the large frying pan with the cooked pumpkin. Mix well and adjust seasoning adding lots of freshly ground pepper and possibly a pinch of chilli or some herbes de Provence or chopped fresh parsley and sage. 
8. Add the chopped olives and the grated cheese. Mix altogether, set aside to cool slightly.
9. Roll out pastry thinly and cut out three quarters to line a deep pie dish. Fill this with the cooled pumpkin mixture, then top with the remaining pastry. 
10. Press the edges together to seal all round. 
11. Bake in a pre-heated oven until golden (approx. 45 mins). 
12. Remove from oven and allow to settle and serve warm.