Sweet, Sweet Onions
Hey folks! My first post here. Hopefully I can contribute something useful from my experience of having to cook for myself for the first time ever. I find cooking is extremely theraputic. I tend to experiment a lot because I don't know better, but I want to share some notes that I read in a cookbook when I first moved out of home which really inspired me to enjoy cooking.
I tend to not follow instructions, I have the patience of a 2 year old and when I often just see the pictures and go MMM i want that now!! So I liked little notes that just told me obvious things about ingredients that, well, no one had ever really shown me before. Then I can go and use the trick i learned to add to part of a larger dish. Having a bag of groceries and a bag of tricks. This sums up my cooking methodology, really.
So my first post is about one of my faves - the ONION. Here goes:
Know your onions: Shallots are little red or brown onions with a milder, sweeter flavour - good for salads and fast cooked dishes. They're easier to peel if you drop them in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes first. Torpedo-shaped banana shallots are also milder - peel, cut into rings and lightly fry. The rest you know.
The onion-balsamic trick: For rich, sweet, and fast caramelised onions, heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. When hot, fry 2 finely sliced onions for 10 minutes, tossing. Add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and cook for 5 minutes until crisp, but don't burn.
Fast french onion soup: Fry 6 sliced white onions in 2 tbsp butter. Add 1 tbsp flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add 1.2 litres beef of chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Top with grilled slices of sourdough bread, scatter with 3 tbsp grated gruyere cheese and place under the grill until the cheese bubbles.
One for the boys: Toss 3 finely sliced red onions in 2 tbsp olive oil and place on a baking tray. Top with 4 thick sliced plum tomatoes and scatter with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Lay 8 well-pricked, thick pork or beef sausages on top. Bake at 200 degrees celcius/Gas 6 for 1 hour.
Don't cry, baby: To cure onion tears, place onions in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting, or chop them in the food processor.
Sweet and sour onions: Gently simmer 30 small white onions with 2 tbsp tomato puree, 100mL red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 bay leaf, 250mL dry white wine, 250 mL water and 100g raisins for 1 hour until tender. Serve with cold meats.
The nicest way to cook onions [my personal fave - wes]: Heat 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp olive oil, sea salt, 2 bay leaves, 100mL dry white wine and 4 finely sliced onions in a pan. Cook very slowly for 45 minutes until meltingly soft. Serve as a sauce, to a roast leg of lamb or pork. Bliss.
How to roast onions: Don't peel, just cut them crosswise through the top as if quartering, but only halfway down. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with thyme sprigs and bake at 180 degrees celcius/Gas 4 for 1 hour for soft, sweet, irresistible onions.
the 15 minute dinner: Fry 2 chopped onions in a little butter and oil for 5 minutes. Add some chopped, leftover cooked ham, chicken or vegetables, and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 eggs, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne, and cook until golden.
Everyone loves onion rings: For crisp onion rings, submerge thickly sliced white onion rings in icy cold water for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry with paper towel, toss in flour and deep fry. Serve with grilled fish, sausages, steaks and char-grilled veg.
There we have it. For those interested the book is called "simple food" by Jill Dupleix and features enough food porn to get even me in the kitchen, which 2 years ago seemed impossible living at home and being a student bum.
I tend to not follow instructions, I have the patience of a 2 year old and when I often just see the pictures and go MMM i want that now!! So I liked little notes that just told me obvious things about ingredients that, well, no one had ever really shown me before. Then I can go and use the trick i learned to add to part of a larger dish. Having a bag of groceries and a bag of tricks. This sums up my cooking methodology, really.
So my first post is about one of my faves - the ONION. Here goes:
Know your onions: Shallots are little red or brown onions with a milder, sweeter flavour - good for salads and fast cooked dishes. They're easier to peel if you drop them in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes first. Torpedo-shaped banana shallots are also milder - peel, cut into rings and lightly fry. The rest you know.
The onion-balsamic trick: For rich, sweet, and fast caramelised onions, heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. When hot, fry 2 finely sliced onions for 10 minutes, tossing. Add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and cook for 5 minutes until crisp, but don't burn.
Fast french onion soup: Fry 6 sliced white onions in 2 tbsp butter. Add 1 tbsp flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add 1.2 litres beef of chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Top with grilled slices of sourdough bread, scatter with 3 tbsp grated gruyere cheese and place under the grill until the cheese bubbles.
One for the boys: Toss 3 finely sliced red onions in 2 tbsp olive oil and place on a baking tray. Top with 4 thick sliced plum tomatoes and scatter with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Lay 8 well-pricked, thick pork or beef sausages on top. Bake at 200 degrees celcius/Gas 6 for 1 hour.
Don't cry, baby: To cure onion tears, place onions in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting, or chop them in the food processor.
Sweet and sour onions: Gently simmer 30 small white onions with 2 tbsp tomato puree, 100mL red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 bay leaf, 250mL dry white wine, 250 mL water and 100g raisins for 1 hour until tender. Serve with cold meats.
The nicest way to cook onions [my personal fave - wes]: Heat 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp olive oil, sea salt, 2 bay leaves, 100mL dry white wine and 4 finely sliced onions in a pan. Cook very slowly for 45 minutes until meltingly soft. Serve as a sauce, to a roast leg of lamb or pork. Bliss.
How to roast onions: Don't peel, just cut them crosswise through the top as if quartering, but only halfway down. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with thyme sprigs and bake at 180 degrees celcius/Gas 4 for 1 hour for soft, sweet, irresistible onions.
the 15 minute dinner: Fry 2 chopped onions in a little butter and oil for 5 minutes. Add some chopped, leftover cooked ham, chicken or vegetables, and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 eggs, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne, and cook until golden.
Everyone loves onion rings: For crisp onion rings, submerge thickly sliced white onion rings in icy cold water for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry with paper towel, toss in flour and deep fry. Serve with grilled fish, sausages, steaks and char-grilled veg.
There we have it. For those interested the book is called "simple food" by Jill Dupleix and features enough food porn to get even me in the kitchen, which 2 years ago seemed impossible living at home and being a student bum.