Onions are surely one of the most versatile vegetables on earth, providing the base for countless recipes. You can’t really skimp on their cooking time, as doing this as slowly as you can is what will bring out their caramel sweetness and depth of flavour.
What follows are recipes that use 10 large onions in total, slowly caramelised during the first stage of preparing a delicious French onion soup. Half the cooked onions should be set aside and placed in the fridge to be used up as the week goes by.
To prepare the onions
Peel and finely slice 10 onions into half-moons. Put a large, heavy-based casserole on a low heat and pour in 5 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, then stir with a wooden spoon to coat evenly. Cook very slowly, stirring, until the onions are translucent, golden brown and sticky. Pop a lid on occasionally, or add a splash of water, if they look like they are drying out. This should take about 30 minutes. Once cool, store in a plastic container in the fridge.
The savoury pastry: Onion and streaky bacon tart (pictured above)
This tasty tart takes no time at all and works well as a simple, speedy weeknight supper. Try serving alongside a crunchy lettuce and tomato salad with a mustard dressing.
Serves 3-4
1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
1 tbsp olive oil
8 slices of smoked streaky bacon
2 onions, sliced and cooked
1 Set the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. The pastry will need to come to room temperature (about 10 minutes out of the fridge) before you can unroll it.
2 Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the bacon until just cooked.
3 Unroll the pastry and place it on a baking tray. Roll the sides in by around 1cm to create an edge. Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry.
4 Spoon in the prepared onions, spreading them evenly over the base. Arrange the bacon strips on top in a diamond pattern.
5 Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the pastry edge has risen and looks golden brown and crispy. Serve the tart immediately.
The hearty soup: Classic French onion soup
A glass of wine is mandatory when chopping or slicing in great quantity. Use the remains of the bottle in this warming soup.
Serves 4-6
30g butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5 onions, sliced and cooked
250ml dry white wine
1.5 litres beef stock
Salt and black pepper
For the tartines
1 baguette
15g butter
100g cheddar or gruyere, grated
1 Combine the butter, garlic and onions in a casserole dish, then cook over a medium heat until the onions have taken on a bit more colour.
2 Turn the heat up and add the wine. Let the alcohol burn off and add the beef stock and season. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, then check the seasoning.
3 When you are ready to serve, set the oven grill to high and slice the baguette. Butter both sides of the bread and place on a baking tray. Cover each slice with a generous quantity of grated cheese and grill until melted and turning golden in places.
4 Divide the soup between serving bowls. Pop a few slices of cheesy baguette on top of each.
The pronto pasta: Onion and sardine spaghetti
Although chopping and slow-cooking 10 onions at the beginning of the week may seem like tear-inducing madness, it does means that you can have this Venetian-inspired pasta on the table in 15 minutes instead of 45.
Serves 2
1½ onions, sliced and cooked (about 150g)
120g tin of sardines in olive oil
100ml water
50ml milk
90g wholewheat spaghetti, or pasta of your choice
Salt and black pepper
1 Put the onions in a frying pan on a lowish heat. Tear the sardines into chunks (picking out the bones and any large bits of skin), then add to the onions along with a splash of their oil. Leave to cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat up to medium-high and add the water and milk. Cook, uncovered, for around 8 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by about half.
2 Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted water for just under the amount of time specified on the packet. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking water to add to the sardine mix, which will create a saucy consistency. Give it all a good stir and cook for another minute, then add lots of black pepper (and salt, if it needs it) before serving.
The spicy supper: Bulgur spiced onion pilaf
This delicious spiced dish can easily be adapted according to the contents of your fridge.
Serves 2-3
20g butter
1½ onions, sliced and cooked (about 150g)
2 green cardamom pods
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
250g bulgur wheat
500ml hot chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp pine nuts
For the topping
250ml yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ lemon
1 Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Heat through, then add the seeds from the cardamom pods, followed by the rest of the spices. Mix well.
2 Rinse the bulgur wheat under the tap, then add to the pan and stir for a minute to coat.
3 Cover the bulgur with the chicken stock and lower the heat if the pan is bubbling too furiously. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the bulgur is tender. Add a little more stock or hot water as necessary to stop the wheat drying out before it is cooked.
4 Prepare the topping while the bulgur is cooking: put the yoghurt in a bowl and add the crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice.
5 When you are ready to eat, stir the coriander and nuts into the bulgur pan and check the seasoning. Serve immediately, with spoonfuls of yoghurt sauce dolloped on top.
Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing are the authors of The Little Book of Lunch and The Cornershop Cookbook (both Square Peg)
