Baked Onions

Sophie Dahl’s ‘Voluptuous Delights’ has seen me through my whole shopping list and menu this week.  I can’t understand why this book is selling for £3.99 in bargain bookshops already – it’s wonderful!  Paris Mash on Monday, Aubergine Parmigiana on Tuesday, Grilled Salmon and Baked Onions on Wednesday…a meatless delight of a week.

I’ll certainly be making these again, as they were deliciously sweet and cheap to make.  Here is the recipe, slightly adapted.

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.

Peel four smallish onions and boil them whole for twenty minutes, or until the centres are trying to burst out.

Cut them in half and place them inside-up into an ovenproof dish.  Individual enamel dishes are perfect.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Pour over about 150g single cream and sprinkle with up to 50g parmesan or grana padano.

Bake for 25-30 minutes and serve with grilled salmon, Sunday dinner, sausages, a pork chop, anything!

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C-L’s Onion Bhajis

Claire-Louise’s onion bhaji recipe:  Don’t they look delicious?

“5 heaped tbsp plain flour
4 tsp coriander leaf
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp garam masala
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 large onions
Water

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add the water slowly until it makes a thick paste (about half a cup of water).
Quarter the onions then thinly slice each piece.
Mix the onion in the bowl with the paste thoroughly.

Using a deep fryer (I use a wok with about a litre of oil in), place a large tbsp of the mixture and scrape it into the hot oil.
Fry each side for about 3 mins or until it looks a crispy golden brown.
Place on a plate with kitchen roll on, to soak away any excess oil.

Best eaten immediately, however you can also freeze them and bake them in the oven at a later date.”

 

Veal Liver with Onions and Marsala

I’ve reblogged this recipe because I didn’t have a decent camera when I first made it. It really is totally delicious!

Salutation Recipes

I know.  Many people feel about liver the same way as I feel about mayonnaise.  Look away now if you do; there’s no recipe to cure that sort of loathing.

However, if you’re even slightly ambivalent, try this.  It’s delicious, sweet, and very quick to make.

Fry 2 onions in some butter, oil and salt until very soft.  It’s fine if it browns a little.  Take about 4 – 6 thin slices of veal liver (Pittaway’s in Darlington sell it at a decent price, and it’s a great butcher’s); put them on a big plate and sprinkle with paprika, black pepper and some plain flour.  Just sprinkle.  One side is fine.

Wait until your potatoes and green beans are almost done before going beyond the frying onions phase.

Turn the heat up on your onions and add about 6 sage leaves.  Then, shove the onions to one side and…

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Potato and Onion Omelette

It’s got to be something quick, easy and requiring no shopping at all on a Monday night, hasn’t it?  So here it is, short and simple.

Preheat your grill.

Chop an onion and soften very gently in olive oil.  Meanwhile, peel (or don’t – it’s up to you) and dice 4-5 medium-sized potatoes.  If you don’t want to dirty 2 pans, dice the potatoes into 0.5cm cubes and add them to onion, softening them slowly, stirring all the time.  It’ll take a while (15-20 minutes or so).  If you have a dishwasher, cut the potatoes a big bigger (1cm cubes) boil them for 10 minutes, drain, then add to the onion.  Add a little salt, and more oil if necessary.  Let them colour a little.

Now, whisk up 5 large eggs with about 5 tablespoons of milk and a little more salt.  Pour the liquid over the onions and potatoes, then push the egg mix away from the edge of the pan to allow more liquid to touch the base and cook.  A medium heat should be fine.  After about 5-8 minutes, when you think that the bottom is thoroughly cooked, pop the omelette under a hot grill to brown.

Veal Liver with Onions and Marsala

I know.  Many people feel about liver the same way as I feel about mayonnaise.  Look away now if you do; there’s no recipe to cure that sort of loathing.

However, if you’re even slightly ambivalent, try this.  It’s delicious, sweet, and very quick to make.

Fry 2 onions in some butter, oil and salt until very soft.  It’s fine if it browns a little.  Take about 4 – 6 thin slices of veal liver (Pittaway’s in Darlington sell it at a decent price, and it’s a great butcher’s); put them on a big plate and sprinkle with paprika, black pepper and some plain flour.  Just sprinkle.  One side is fine.

Wait until your potatoes and green beans are almost done before going beyond the frying onions phase.

Turn the heat up on your onions and add about 6 sage leaves.  Then, shove the onions to one side and put the liver into the frying pan.  In the intense heat, it should frazzle instantly.  Keep it in there for a couple of minutes, then turn over and add a sherry glass (yes, every home should have one!) of marsala.  Let it frazzle, then turn down the heat for at least 3 – 4 minutes.  Add extra marsala if the sauce is thickening into nothing.  You can mash your potatoes and drain your green beans in this time, if that’s what you’re serving it with.

Add some teeny knobs of butter (no more than a teaspoon in total) to your marsala sauce, then serve.  There you go.  Done.  A little scattering of sage or parsley might be nice.

Goodbye to all of you who decide to switch off now.  I promise, no more liver for a month or two.

 If your butcher hasn’t cut it as thinly as Mr Pittaway, it might take a little longer.  I’m not fashionable enough to be able to eat liver à point, so these timings pretty much cook it through, unless it’s cut quite thickly.