The allium family is fundamental to the home cook’s recipe repertoire. Food Editor Emma Winterschladen makes the humble onion star of the show.
Red onion tarte tatin with blue cheese
SERVES 2-4 375g ready-made puff pastry 6 small red onions 50g butter 3 tsp sugar Handful of fresh thyme 1 tbsp port or balsamic vinegar 60g Stilton Salt and pepper l l l l l l l l
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Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Unroll the puff pastry and, using a rolling pin, roll it just enough so you can cut around a plate (approx. 32cm diameter). Prick a few holes in it with a fork and then place in the fridge while you prepare the onions. 2 Remove the outer skins of the onions and chop off the top and bottom. Slice each in half crossways, so you can see the rings. Make sure they are even height – if not, trim and set any excess onion rings to one side to use later. 96
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Melt the butter over a medium heat in an ovenproof pan, approx. 20cm in diameter. Add in the sugar followed by the red onions, widest side down. Lower the heat a little and let them sauté for about ten minutes, carefully moving them about to make sure the butter doesn’t burn. Add in the thyme, port or balsamic and seasoning halfway through. Cover with foil and place in the oven for a further 25 minutes until softened. 4 Remove the pan of onions from the oven and carefully place a little Stilton in the gaps between the onions. Take the pastry out of the fridge and drape it over the onions, tucking it into the sides. Pop back in the oven for a further 25 minutes until the pastry is golden. 5 Allow the tart to cool for around 15 minutes before turning it out onto a plate. Crumble over a little more Stilton and finish with a few thyme leaves. 97
Middle Eastern-inspired flatbread pizza SERVES 2 For the acuka (spicy red pepper and walnut spread) 2 red bell peppers* 70g walnuts 1 red chilli 1 clove garlic 3 tbsp olive oil ½ lemon, juice and zest 1 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp cumin 1-2 tsp honey, to taste Salt and pepper l l l l l l l l l l
For the flatbread 250g wholemeal spelt flour 1 tsp baking powder 120g Greek yoghurt 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil Salt and pepper l l l l l l
For the topping 1 onion, finely sliced 2 eggs 2 dollops of Greek yoghurt Small handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 For the acuka, hold the red pepper to an 3 Divide the dough into two ‘pizza’ open flame on your hob for eight minutes or so until the skin is chargrilled, turning regularly to ensure even coverage and making sure not to burn your fingers (you could also barbecue the red pepper). Once the skin is blackened, carefully peel it off and roughly chop the red pepper. Place it in a food processor with all the other ingredients and blitz into a paste. Alternatively, use a pestle and mortar for a more authentic texture. Scoop the acuka paste into a clean jar ready to use later (any remaining should keep in the fridge for up to two weeks). 2 If making your own flatbread, mix all the ingredients (except the oil) together in a medium bowl until you’ve formed a dry dough – add more flour if it’s too sticky. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge for up to an hour.
bases – depending how big you want your flatbreads. On a floured surface, roll each piece out into a circle around 3mm thick. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan for a minute before cooking each bread individually for less than a minute on each side on a medium heat – until they’re golden. 4 Remove the flatbreads from the pan and add another glug of olive oil. Sauté the onion until crispy, then remove from the pan and crack two eggs in. Fry them to your desired consistency. 5 Meanwhile, spread around two tbsp of acuka paste onto the now cooled flatbreads. Sprinkle over the crisp onions and, when the egg is ready to serve, add that on top. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt on each flatbread and the mint leaves.
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*You can also use long red peppers for a slightly sweeter taste
Slow-roasted echalion shallots with crispy breadcrumbs and green lentil, wild rocket and goat’s cheese salad SERVES 4 300g green lentils 8 echalion shallots 8 garlic cloves, skin on 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 orange, halved, juice and zest 2 slices of wholegrain bread Few sprigs of rosemary 150g rocket 100g hard goat’s cheese* Salt and pepper l l l l l l l l l l l l
*Swap for similar hard cheese, like Parmesan or Pecorino, if you’d prefer
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1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/
gas mark 6. Rinse the lentils in cold water and add to a pan with 1.5 litres of water. Add in a little salt and bring to the boil, before reducing to a simmer for 40 minutes, until tender. Then drain. 2 Wrap the shallots in tin foil and add in the garlic cloves, a generous glug of olive oil, one tbsp honey, one tbsp balsamic vinegar and the juice of one of the orange halves. Lower the temperature to 180°C/375°F/gas mark 5 and pop the parcel in the oven for 45 minutes or so, until the shallots have softened. 3 Meanwhile, roughly blitz up the bread pieces in a food processor so you have medium chunks. Remove
the shallots from the oven, unwrap the foil, and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Drizzle over more olive oil and honey. Grate over the zest of the remaining orange half and place in a few sprigs of rosemary. Remove the garlic cloves and set to one side for the salad. 4 Allow the shallots to cook for a further 25-30 minutes, unwrapped, until they start to caramelise. 5 Plate up the lentils and rocket on a serving platter. Remove the shallots from the oven, add them to the plate and pour over the juices. Shave over the goat’s cheese and finish with final squeeze of the second orange half, a glug of olive oil, and salt and pepper. 99
Potato, bacon and onion hotpot
Pickled red onions MAKES 1 LITRE JAR 2 large red onions 400ml white wine vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp sea salt Pepper l
SERVES 4-6 800g potatoes 2 tbsp butter or olive oil 6 rashers good-quality bacon 3 onions, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped 500-600ml low-salt vegetable stock 100g cheddar, grated Salt and pepper l l l
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To serve Handful of chives, chopped l
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas
mark 5. Chop the potatoes into thin discs approx. 2-3mm wide and set to one side. 2 Heat up the butter or oil over a medium heat and fry the bacon for few minutes, before adding in the onions. Sauté for a further six minutes or so until the bacon is crispy and the onions are caramelised. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. 3 Now assemble the hotpot by placing a layer of potatoes in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish. Add in a large spoonful of the bacon and onion mixture – evenly spreading it over the potatoes. Carry on alternatively layering the bacon mixture and the potatoes, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Keep back a little onion and bacon to serve on the top. 4 Prepare some hot stock and pour over until you can just about see the liquid rising up. Place the hotpot in the oven for approx. 45 minutes, checking after 30 to see if you need to add a little more stock. 5 When the potatoes have cooked through and are starting to go golden, take the casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the cheese. Pop it back in the oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbling. 6 Serve with the remaining crispy bacon and caramelised onions, and a scattering of chives.
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Optional 1 clove garlic 1 red chilli 1 tsp coriander seeds l l l
1 Peel off the outer skin of the onions
and finely slice the onions crossways into rings and place in a colander. Pour over boiling water then rinse with cold water. Let them drain and then dry on a paper towel. 2 In a sterilised jar, add white wine vinegar and stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Add in any extras you may like (e.g. garlic, chilli or coriander seeds). 3 Place the onions into the vinegar and season with pepper before sealing and placing in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (it should last up to two weeks in the fridge).
Follow Food Editor Emma’s cooking and eating on Instagram @lewellbeing_food
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