Recipe: Squash tartlets hit the spot for autumn revels

The end of October marks the end of the growing season and the autumn fruits of squash and apples.

At this time comes the traditional Harvest Festival and the now more widely celebrated Halloween. Hot on its heels is Guy Fawkes Night although these days, there are not so many bonfire parties in back gardens.

Whatever the occasion to celebrate, these little tartlets are great accompaniment to serve with drinks whether inside or out.

They are a great mixture of the hot, sweet and sour flavours that I love and can be served hot or cold. There are many stages, but they can all be done in advance and made up just before you are ready to serve.

I've used an avocado to make the pastry as they are full of fat and fibre but feel free to use regular pastry if you like. This version is vegan - you could add a little feta cheese if you wish instead of the sunflower seeds.

Sweet and sour squash, apple and onion tartlets with avocado pastry

Ingredients

For the pastry

Flesh of one avocado made up to 140g with olive oil

300g flour

For the squash

350g (unprepared weight) squash

One tablespoon olive oil

Quarter teaspoon smoked paprika

Nine sage leaves about 2.5 cm long

A few chilli flakes

For the onion mix

300g onion thinly sliced

One tablespoon olive oil

200g tart green apple, cored, peeled and sliced

One tablespoon lemon juice

For the garnish

Three tablespoons sunflower seeds

Two teaspoons tamari or shoyu sauce

Preparation

First make the pastry as it needs time to rest.

If you have a processor, add the avocado flesh, oil and the flour and process until fine it looks like breadcrumbs. (You can do this by hand but I recommend adding half the flour to start. Rub the mixture through your fingertips until it is beginning to breakdown, then add the flour gradually whilst continuing to rub the avocado flesh in.)

Add four tablespoons of cold water and mix until a stiff dough is formed.

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Set the oven to 180°C.

Peel the squash and remove the seeds.

Cut into 24 pieces about one centimetre square.

Place in a bowl with the olive oil, paprika and chilli flakes.

Cut the sage leaves in half, add to the bowl and toss to mix.

Pour into a roasting tin, making sure the pieces do not touch each other and cook for about 30 minutes.

Take the pastry mix and cut into 24 equal pieces, weighing approximately 20g. Flour a board and roll each one out.

Place in a paper case, then place the case in a muffin tin. Put another paper case inside and fill with baking beans.

Bake for about 20 mins until golden. Remove the baking beans and the paper cases they were in and allow to cool.

Put one tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan over a low heat.

Add the onions and stir and fry gently for about 20 mins until they are beginning to colour and caramelise.

Remove the onions from the pan and add the sliced apple with four tablespoons of water.

Cook gently until soft, mashing the apple with a fork to make a rough purée. Add the lemon juice and the cooked onion and mix.

Put the sunflower seeds in a small pan and toast over a low heat. When coloured, remove from the heat and toss in the tamari.

To assemble, place a little of the onion/apple mixture in the bottom of each of the tart cases, followed by a piece of squash. Top with the sunflower seeds. Warm through in an oven for 15 minutes or serve cold.