3 ways with onions

By TASTE, 13 September 2016

Battered and deep-fried. Pickled, with Cheddar cheese, in a jaffle. Baked in cream until fall-apart tender. The humble allium really is worth rhapsodising about. You might even shed a little tear.

Blooming spiced onion

onion-bloom

 

  • Slice the heads off 4 large white or red onions, just enough to create a stable base for them to stand on. With the root facing upwards, make four incisions at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’ clock positions on the onion without cutting through the root. Make a further 3 incisions between the original ones. Turn over the onion and gently pull the petals apart.
  • Mix 250 g chickpea flour, 1 t ground turmeric, 1 t ground cumin, 2 t ground coriander, 2 t garam masala and 2 t salt. Slowly pour in 2 cups buttermilk while whisking, adding enough to form a thick, pancake- like batter.
  • Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a large saucepan. Dip an onion into the batter and spoon some over it, making sure the batter gets between each petal. Using a slotted spoon, place the onion in the oil and deep-fry for 5 minutes, or until the onion is cooked and the batter is crisp. Repeat with the remaining onions. Serve with spring onion and chive yoghurt dip.

 

Red onions baked in cream and gorgonzola

onions-baked

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place 750 g small red onions on a board, root side down. Cut a cross into each one, taking care not to cut all the way through.
  • Place the onions and 3 large washed and chopped leeks in an ovenproof dish, then add 150 g crumbled Gorgonzola, 4 grated garlic cloves, 2 sprigs thyme, 1⁄2 t nutmeg and 2 cups cream.
  • Season and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the cream has reduced and the onions are cooked.

 

Pickled onion jaffles

onion-jaffle

  • To make the pickled onion, heat 1 cup red wine vinegar, 1 red chilli and 1 green chilli, sliced lengthways, 1 t mixed peppercorns and 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once it comes to a gentle simmer, remove from the heat.
  • Add 1 red onion and 1 white onion, thinly sliced lengthways, and allow the liquid to cool slightly.
  • Grate 200 g Cheddar cheese and butter 8 slices white bread. Place four slices of the bread on a board, buttered side down. Top with the grated cheese and the pickled onions. Top with the remaining bread, buttered side up.
  • Place the sandwiches in a jaffle iron and toast over the braai or a medium flame on a gas stove for about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Charred onion petals, that’s what, you ask? To achieve this, halve an onion through the root, place the halves cut-side down in an oiled, piping hot pan, then cook over a medium heat until the edges are blackened. Singe a bit more in a hot oven, then separate the petals and season.

Discover more sensational sides here.

TASTE

Article by TASTE

The TASTE team is a happy bunch of keen cooks and writers, always on the look out for the next food trend or the next piece of cake.
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