Melting Middle Onions Food

MELTING ONIONS

Steps:

• Position rack in upper third of oven. Preheat to 450°F.
• Toss onions, oil, butter, sage (or thyme), salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread in a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan (don't use glass or ceramic, which might shatter). Roast, turning once, until browned on both sides, 30 to 35 minutes total.
• Turn the onions again and carefully add broth to the pan. Continue roasting until the broth is reduced and the onions are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes more.

MELTING-MIDDLE BAKED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Trim the bases of the onions so they stand up in a baking tray, and cut the tops flat, about 1cm down, so you can see most of the onion layers. Pour 1cm boiling water into the tray, add the bay leaves and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1-1¼ hours until they are soft all the way through when pierced with a skewer.
• Pour any liquid from the bottom of the tray away, and leave to cool for 20 minutes until they are cool enough to touch. Pull out the centres of the onions by gently squeezing them, they should pop out of the top, or use a spoon to scoop out the layers. Leave about 4 or 5 outer onion layers as a shell. Finely chop the soft onion middles, season with salt and lots of black pepper, and add a pinch of thyme leaves, and pack into the onion shells to fill them about 2cm up. Discard any onion left over (or use for soup). Mix the cheese, garlic, nutmeg, half the thyme leaves and season. Spoon into the onions on top of the chopped onion, packing the cheese in densely, as the cheese will melt and reduce when cooked.
• Toss the bread cubes with 1 tbsp oil, the remaining thyme and season well. Add to the tops of the onions. Drizzle over a little more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are golden and crunchy. Serve with a green salad or vegetables.

MELTED ONIONS

Steps:

• Combine ingredients in a large skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions break down and are completely soft (they will be a lovely medium to dark brown), several hours.

LINGUINE WITH MELTED ONIONS AND CREAM

Steps:

• In a wide skillet with a lid, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. When melted, add the onions in batches, stirring to coat. Reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook, stirring often, until very soft and translucent, about 30 minutes. The onions may turn light gold, but they should not brown.
• Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, cover and continue cooking until onions are golden and melting into a purée, 30 to 60 minutes more depending on the thickness of the onions.
• In a microwave, heat the cream until warm, add the tomato paste, and stir until dissolved.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat for the pasta.
• When the onions are cooked, stir the cream mixture into the skillet along with a dozen grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion mixture is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender, then drain and return to the pot. Immediately add the onion mixture and Parmesan cheese and toss together. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper; add a little more tomato paste if the mixture needs sweetness or acidity.
• Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving lightly with parsley, if you'd like. Pass more cheese at the table.