Page 212 - Pie Squared

½ cup (70 g) pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon warm water

1 cup (113 g) feta cheese, crumbled

Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator at the last minute,
allowing the sheets to warm only for one or two minutes. Unroll the
sheets of puff pastry one at a time. Press one sheet of puff pastry

out slightly with a rolling pin, tidying any breaks from the folds. Pierce
the dough all over with a fork, every 2 inches or so, going right
through to the pan below. Trim 1-inch strips from each edge to make
raised edges (a wall) around the entire pastry. Refrigerate. Roll out
the second sheet of puff pastry and stamp out twelve 2-inch-square

toppers, one for each serving. Or make triangles or circles or stars.
Adorable! Set the cutouts on a piece of lightly floured parchment and
refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add
the onions and cook until wilted, translucent, and beginning to brown
on the edges, about 25 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the
zucchini, squash, oregano, and salt. Do not stir or disturb the
squash, cooking them until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir and

brown the other sides, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the black
pepper, olives, and zest. Taste the filling: It should be slightly salty
and assertively flavored. Cool the filling before proceeding.

Heat the oven to 400°F; if you have one, place a baking stone,
Baking Steel, or inverted baking sheet on the center rack to heat
(see here).
Stir together the tomato paste and warm water and brush across
the bottom pastry, avoiding the border. Pile the filling into the pastry

shell and gently smooth the surface with a tablespoon or an offset
spatula. Sprinkle the top with feta and place the cutout toppers on
the pie, one for each serving.

Bake (on top of the steel, stone, or baking sheet if using) for 25
minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the toppers are nice and