Free-form tarts save on washing up – no pie dish – and blind baking (often a deal breaker when it comes to pie making). You simply make the 'pie' shape by folding the pastry edge over the filling. It is so easy.

Eggplants are at their best (and best value, too) from mid–late summer right through the winter. The most common one you'll find has a rich purple skin. But these days there's a range to choose from – from purple and oval to pear-shaped, white, lavender or red striped long sausage-like types, as well as small round eggplants in a range of colours.

Our eggplants were fresh from the garden and didn't need salting before cooking. You can also make the pastry in a food processor but the kids enjoyed doing it by hand.

Makes 8 slices
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Resting time (for pastry) 30 minutes)
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Pastry
200g (7oz) plain flour
125g (4½ oz) butter, chopped into cubes
2 tbsp iced water

Filling
2 tbsp oil
1 leek, halved and sliced
2 long eggplants (about 350g), quartered lengthwise and sliced.
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
60g feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon sesame or poppy seeds
2 tbsp shredded basil

To make the pastry place the flour in a large bowl and rub in the butter until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Pour in most of the water and use the flat bladed knife to combine. Use your hands to bring the dough together. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap or baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and cook the leek for 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining oil, eggplant, garlic and oregano and cook for about 10 minutes until eggplant is cooked and soft. Pour the mixture into a heat-proof bowl, cool and season.

Roll out the pastry on baking paper until it is about 30cm (12in) in diameter. Place paper and dough on baking tray. Spoon the eggplant mixture over the pastry, leaving a 5cm (2 in) border. Arrange the tomatoes over the filling and top with feta. Fold pastry over filling to make 'sides'. Brush the pastry borders with egg and sprinkle with the seeds.

Bake the pie for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven, cool, and sprinkle with basil. Serve sliced into wedges with a salad.