|
Jeff Buben's Whole Baked Onion Recipe
from his Vidalia Restaurant.
Serves four:
8 T butter
4 T brown sugar (optional)
4 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 t chopped fresh rosemary
4 t chopped fresh thyme
8 T sherry vinegar
4 T beef, chicken, veal or other good stock
4 whole Vidalia or other sweet onions
A few tablespoons good olive or other salad oil
4 large shiitake (or other variety) mushroom caps
4 oz Smithfield ham (or other smoked ham or bacon), diced 4 T chopped
chives
1 ripe tomato, diced
salt and freshly cracked pepper
4 pieces of aluminum foil, each around one foot square
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay each piece of foil flat, and spoon 1/4 of
each of the first six ingredients (the butter, brown sugar if desired,
shallots, garlic, rosemary and thyme) onto the center of each piece.
For each onion: cut off the shriveled end, then cut 6-8 shallow slits just
through the brown peel, going lengthwise all the way from the shriveled
end to the root; pull back the flaps of peel in a bunch, like a pony tail, over
the root; plop the onion on top of the pile of seasonings on the foil, and
then bunch the foil all around it, so the whole onion is completely wrapped
-- except for the bunched up onion peel, which should be poking out the
top.
Pour 1/4 of the sherry vinegar and stock, plus a few pinches of salt and
pepper, into each of the foil packets before giving the foil a final pinch to
seal it well, and bake on a cooking sheet for around 45 minutes or until
soft. (Note: the onion peel will be black.)
When the onion is done, heat a T or so of butter or olive oil in a saute pan
over medium high-high heat, add the mushroom chunks and ham and
saute until slightly browned, stir in the diced tomato, pour in the juices
from the onion packets, stir until hot and then remove from heat. Salt and
pepper to taste, add a bit more sherry vinegar if desired, and then whisk
in additional salad oil (if desired) to make it into a vinaigrette.
Put each onion in the center of a plate and spoon sauce around it, sprinkle
with chives ...
...Enjoy
|
