Recipe Inspiration

Ingredients...

For the pastry:

500g plain flour

1g salt

125g lard

125g butter, chilled and diced

30-40ml cold water

For the filling:

50g unsalted butter

750g onions, peeled and finely sliced

200ml water

12g Essential Cuisine Light Vegetable Stock Mix

5g fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

750g Cheshire cheese, coarsely grated

Freshly ground pepper

1 beaten egg

Method...

1. Sieve the flour and salt together into a suitable bowl. Rub the lard and butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
   
   
2. Add the water until a firm dough is formed, cut into 10 equal balls and chill for 20 minutes.
   
   
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Heat the butter in a suitable pan, gently fry the onions for 15 minutes, without too much colour. Pour in the water and stir in the Essential Cuisine Light Vegetable Stock Mix, continue cooking on a gentle heat until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are cooked, remove and cool on a tray.
   
   
4. Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured surface until ½ cm thick, carefully line a suitable greased pie dish. Spread a layer of cooled onion, then the cheese, repeating the layers to fill the dish, seasoning to your taste with freshly ground pepper.
   
   
5. Roll out the remaining pastry, brush the exposed edges of the pastry base with the egg and lay the lid on top, gently seal with a fork or crimp, if preferred.
   
   
6. Brush the lid with the remaining egg, cut a hole in the centre, then bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown.
   
   
7. Your Cheshire Cheese and Onion Pie is now ready to serve.