This unashamed cheat recipe is a hit with everyone who tries it. The little pasties are glazed with beaten egg and finished with fennel, poppy or sesame seeds, or a mixture. Good with a chunky tomato sauce or pickle, or a big crunchy salad. If you can’t find the unlikely sounding but quite excellent Eazy (Spanish) fried onions in a tin, it will be necessary to cook 3 large chopped onions slowly, stirring often, in olive oil until slippery soft.
Serves 4
Prep: 35 min
Cook: 15 min
400g tin Eazy fried onions
320g ready rolled puff pastry
flour
150g grated Cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp fennel, poppy or sesame seeds or a mix, or
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
Tip the onions into a sieve to drain. Dust a work surface with flour and lightly roll the pastry lengthways to enable cutting 8 x 10.5 cm circles. Gather up the trimmings and roll again; you should get a further 3. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and have water in a ramekin. Have ready a pastry brush, a parchment-lined baking sheet and the seeds. Hold a circle of pastry on the flat of your hand. Paint a 1cm border with water. Place a scant dssp onion in the middle and top with a similar amount of cheese. Cup your hand so the pastry closes slightly, pinch together in the middle, then seal by pinching the edges firmly. Paint with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds or Parmesan. Make a few steam holes with a fork. Space apart on the baking sheet. Bake at 220C/gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes, checking after 15, until puffed and golden. Eat immediately or reheat for 5 minutes in a hot oven.