Savory Pumpkin Pie with Parsley Salad and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Start with the pumpkin – cut it in half and peel it using a potato peeler. Scoop out the seeds into a bowl and set them aside for now. Preheat the oven to 210°C, prepare a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut the pumpkin into slices slightly larger than one centimeter and then into cubes. Spread them in a single layer on the baking tray, spray with olive oil, salt, and place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• 2
  Prepare the dough, the quickest way is in a food processor. Simply place all the ingredients, including softened butter cut into cubes, into the bowl and run for a short time until everything turns into a very sticky dough. Use a spatula to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, coat in flour, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• 3
  When the pumpkin is baked, set it aside on the baking tray to cool. Lightly moisten the work surface with water and use two slightly overlapping strips of plastic wrap to create a large square, much larger than the pie pan. Lightly flour it. Place the rested unwrapped dough in the center, roll it out into a sheet large enough to cover not only the bottom of the pan but also the sides and slightly overhang. Lift the dough with the wrap and flip it upside down into the pie pan, which you have previously sprayed or greased with olive oil. Adjust through the wrap so that the dough lies nicely directly on the walls of the pan. Remove the wrap and place in the refrigerator to firm up for a while.
• 4
  Meanwhile, set the oven temperature to 180°C, crack an egg into a bowl and whisk. Fry the chopped bacon with chopped sage leaves in its own fat in a pan and let cool. Brush the dough everywhere with the beaten egg using a pastry brush, poke with a fork in many places, including the walls, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
• 5
  In the bowl with the remaining egg, prepare a smooth mixture – crack the remaining eggs here and whisk well with the whipping cream and sour cream. Salt, pepper, add ¾ of the grated cheese.
• 6
  Trim the overhanging edges of the pre-baked dough with a knife. Distribute the baked pumpkin cubes and bacon with sage evenly. Pour in the smooth mixture, adjust with a fork to make everything even, or tap or shake the form a few times. Distribute ajvar on top of the pie according to your taste, always in half-teaspoons, add pieces of chosen cheese – it can be crumbled or cut into smaller cubes. Finally, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and immediately place in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes depending on the color.
• 7
  Rinse the pumpkin seeds in a sieve under a stream of cold water and remove as much of the orange sticky mass as possible. Transfer them to a paper towel and let dry. Then place them on a baking tray with parchment paper, add a little oil, salt, and pepper.
• 8
  Prepare the salad – rinse the caper buds in water and place them in a bowl. Peel the red onion and cut into very thin half-moons, add to the capers along with salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. Mix. Let marinate like this. Add the picked parsley leaves to the salad just before serving.
• 9
  When the pie is nicely golden brown, the edges will be brown and the filling puffed up even in the middle, firm when shaken, let it cool – ideally on a rack and in a cool place. Do not turn off the oven yet, the pumpkin seeds need to go in for 15-20 minutes. As soon as they start to smell and crunch, take them out of the oven and let cool.
• 10
  Cut into the pie only when it is lukewarm. Only then will the mixture hold its shape. You will achieve the most beautiful cross-sections if you bake it half a day or a day in advance and let it cool completely, perhaps even stay in the refrigerator. Then, of course, you must at least let it come to room temperature, but it tastes even better warmed up.
• 11
  Serve with parsley salad on top, sprinkled with crunchy seeds. Do not skip these two sides, only then is the pie complete, taste-balanced, and above all, heavenly great!