Phil's comforting cheese and onion pie
Phil Vickery's cheese and onion pie perfect for the whole family!
Ingredients
For the pastry
450g plain flour130g stork margarine or butter130g lard5 tbsp cold waterA pinch of salt
For the filling
50g unsalted butter100ml water4 large white onions, chopped300g Lancashire cheese, chopped into small ½ cm cubes (ours is unpasteurised but Cheddar cheese will also work)200g cooked potato, chopped into small ½ cm cubesFreshly ground pepper1 egg, whisked
24 cm pie tin – if you’re not using a loose bottom pie tin, then line with parchment paper leaving a generous amount overlapping the edge to help remove the pie from the tin once its cooked.
Preheat the oven to 200c
Method
Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and 100ml water and gently cook until all the water is evaporated. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
To make the pastry
Place the flour, butter and lard into a food processor and combine. Add a little water and pulse together to form a soft dough.
Remove from the processor and roll 2/3 of the pastry out to ¼ cm thick. Line a 24 cm tin with the pastry leaving a nice overlap. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Mix the cooled onions with the cheese, potato and pepper.
Transfer the filling to the lined tray.
Roll out the remaining pastry and top the filling. Crimp the edges and trim the pastry – use the pastry trimmings to make shapes to decorate the pie. Egg wash the top and make a small incision in the centre of the pie lid.
Transfer to a preheated oven for 20 minutes and reduce the temperature to 180c for a further 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
Serve the pie with pickle or a salad.
Tartare sauce
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: 15 minutes approx
Ingredients
8 heaped tbsp mayonnaise2 tbsp chopped gherkins1 tbsp chopped capers2 tbsp chopped parsley2 chopped spring onions1 tsp Dijon mustard2 tsp any vinegarpinch sugar
Method
Mix all of the ingredients together and serve.