Red onion and goats cheese quassatat

Qassatat are a free form short crust pastry pie traditionally filled with ricotta cheese. This free form creates a rustic homemade look but still very attractive and colourful. You can see Qassatat sold in Malta in every street and eaten at any time of the day. Let your imagination run wild with Qassatat fillings. This one is a very popular and attractive looking pie, perfect as a starter for a dinner party. The sweetness of the caramelised red onions and the saltiness of the goats' cheese are a winning combination. For the pastry: 400g plain flour 150g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm dice 1/2 tsp salt 40ml cold water Put the flour and egg in a bowl and add the butter. Rub it in by hand or using a food processor until it reaches a fine breadcrumb texture. Add the water a little at a time and continue working just until the dough comes together. Wrap it in cling film and chill for about 2 hours. For the filling: 2 tbsp olive oil 450g red onions thinly sliced 15 ml balsamic vinegar 2 tsp fresh thyme 115g goats' cheese 20g pine nuts, toasted Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1 egg, beaten Fresh thyme and a handful of goats' cheese, to garnish Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan, add the onions and fry over a gentle heat for 10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally to prevent them from browning. Add the thyme, seasoning and balsamic vinegar and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Mix in the goats' cheese and toasted pine nuts. Leave to cool down. Preheat the oven to 150C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 2-3mm thick and cut into circles about 10cm in diameter. Place a full tablespoon of the onion mixture in the centre of each circle making sure not to overfill. Gather up the edges of the pastry to partly cover the filling, pressing the ends of the pastry to form a star shape. Glaze the pastry with the beaten egg. Place on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake at 150C for about 20 minutes or until golden. Garnish with crumbled goats' cheese and thyme. Serve warm with a side salad.