| Source: | Number of Serves: | Dietary Considerations: |
|---|---|---|
| Scappi V, Recipe 98 | 12 | Gluten, Onion, Cheese |
This has been one of the standby dishes on my menus for a while. I was first introduced to it when I was helping run the kitchen at 12th Night locally in Politarchopolis (thus far the only time that I have been to said event!) There are some great ways to tweak and dress up this dish, and it’s just satisfying to make, too.
The quantities below will be enough to make 2 full sized pies, or a fat stack of mini ones.
Ingredients
135g Onions
175g Ricotta Cheese
100g Bocconcini
1tsp Lemon Juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1tbsp Olive Oil
Pastry
Method
Cut the top and bottom off the onions, then put in a pot of cold water.
Bring it to the boil and parboil for 10 minutes until soft.
Slip the onions from their skins, and then dice into small pieces.
This can be done in advance and the onions cooled in the fridge, if you would prefer.
Cutting parboiled onion is very tricky as they are quite slippery, especially if warm. Take care with a very sharp knife, or pulse them in a food processor.
Mix cheeses, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and oil together until smooth.
Usually the easiest way is to get your hands in there and break up the bocconcini with your fingers, before giving the whole thing a good stir through with a spoon.
Mix in the onion.
Place filling into pastry case of your choosing. Brush with egg yolk or melted butter.
Bake at 190c until the pastry is golden brown.
Let rest for about 10 minutes, before transferring to a rack to cool.
Notes
Parboiling onions sounds like the weirdest thing ever (Probably tied with parboiling mushrooms) but it makes a big difference. They will be slippery as all get out once they are parboiled, so be mindful. A knife or a mezza luna will do in a pinch, but I recommend pulsing them in a food processor.
If you process them too much and you get a paste, that’s no big deal as far as flavour goes, but the texture is a little less interesting.
When it comes to pastry, this filling is very adaptable. I have had great success with open tartlets (made in a cupcake tray) or making a roped edge pie, where you would have a circle of pastry the size you want it, plop some filling on top, then put another circle on top of that, before roping the edges together to make a nice edge. That’s how I tend to do it. It’s a technique that works really well with full sized pies as well as mini ones. Just remember to poke a few holes in the top to let steam out, and give it a brush over with egg or butter to aid in browning if you are doing this style.
As for the kind of pastry, you can be creative there, too. When we made these the first time, we had one side of the pie be shortcrust (the bottom, I think) and the top be puff. Since my husband was diagnosed as coeliac, I have taken to making my own pastry. Which I think is kind of shortcrust-y.
You can dress these up really nice if you like too. Especially with the mini ones, I like to cut out a shield shape out of some additional pastry, use food colouring to paint heraldry onto it, and then plonk it on top of the pie. Then you get some super cute, well labeled individual pies!
I have successfully made this without the onion, for people who can’t eat the stuff. Leek makes a good alternative, or you can go without. It is very delicious regardless.