During a recent radio interview, a listener rang in for a recipe for old fashioned cheese and onion pie. I’d not made one for about 30 years but suddenly it became one of the most desirable things I could think of to eat. I set to work to re-invent a recipe so here it is. It is nice served warm or cold with a really nice pickle (such as zucchini or green tomato pickle).
Cheese and Onion Pie
Serves 6
For the Pastry
250g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
90g butter, diced
125g coarsely grated tasty cheese
3 tablespoons cold water
A little beaten egg for glazing, optional
For the filling
60g butter
600g onions, peeled and finely chopped
½ to ½ teaspoon salt
200g coarsely grated tasty cheese
25g freshly grated parmesan
½ cup cream
¾ teaspoon wholegrain mustard
Grease a 22 to 23cm round pie dish. Heat oven to 190°C.
To make the pastry, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and rub together with the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese, then enough cold water to make a soft dough.
To make the filling, melt the butter over medium low heat. Sauté the onions gently until soft but not browns. Cool for a few minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out two thirds of the dough to fit the base and sides of the dish. Mix together the tasty cheese and parmesan and sprinkle one third over the base of the pastry. Spread with half the onions. Repeat, then finish with the last of the cheese. Mix together the cream and mustard and drizzle over the filling.
Roll out the other half of the pastry. Dampen the edges of the bottom pastry, then put the top piece in place, crimping the edges to seal. If you have any small pieces of pastry left over, you can roll them out to make pastry leaves to decorate the top.
Brush with beaten egg if using, and prick the top of the pie in several places with a fork.
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 150°C and bake for 20 minutes more.
sallywise.com.au 
Oh my goodness, thanks for pointing that out. Yes, it is baking powder – apologies. Re the lemonade – I haven’t had this happen, but may be due to the lemons. Were they home grown ones? Sometimes (and this doesn’t apply to all) the lemons available commercially are coated with wax to make them keep longer. This would inhibit the fermentation process when making the lemonade. You can remove the wax by rubbing them with a little lemon juice on a cloth I have been told.
Regards
Sally
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Oh my goodness, thanks for pointing that out. Yes, it is baking powder – apologies. Re the lemonade – I haven’t had this happen, but may be due to the lemons. Were they home grown ones? Sometimes (and this doesn’t apply to all) the lemons available commercially are coated with wax to make them keep longer. This would inhibit the fermentation process when making the lemonade. You can remove the wax by rubbing them with a little lemon juice on a cloth I have been told.
Regards
Sally
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Made your cheese & onion pie yesterday. It was superb. Perfect for a cold winter evening in SEQ.
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Hello Sally,
Thank you very much for another wonderful recipe. I really enjoy your books, particularly Out of the Bottle and A Year in a Bottle. Your recipes always work well and taste delicious and the whole family loves them.
Kind Regards,
Michelle.
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I tried this recipe out and it turned out absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Im not even joking!! It tasted soooooo good! I do recommend this recipe for EVERYONE to try, you will definitely NOT regret cooking it.
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