It's been a busy and domestic couple of days. Pictures of our lovely Xmas main dish and some very tasty, chewy, not-too-sweet chocolate almond macaroons to follow, as soon as I can find our blasted flash memory card reader.
In the meantime, I have learned a lovely method for making perfect crispy fried onions, good for use in many Middle Eastern dishes, casseroles, pilafs, legumes, or salads, from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Greens and Grains, a present from my mother. In the book, it is part of a much more elaborate recipe, but the onions are so useful, such a fine condiment for so many things, that it deserves to be raised up on its own. The technique is simply this:
Choose a time when you'll be in the house all afternoon or evening; the active effort involved in making these is low, but you need to be around for a while. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Take two pounds (yes, that's rather a lot) of onions. Peel and cut into fine dice. Put into a large, oven-safe skillet with 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons of water, and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and transfer to the oven. Roast for about three hours, stirring every fifteen minutes or so. They will eventually turn a crisp, deep red-brown. Remove the pan from the oven and push the onions to one side of the pan. Tip the pan away from the onions, so that the oil drains away. Scoop out the onions and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, to drain. They will crisp up even more as they cool. The oil, cooled, is very nice for salad dressing.
In the meantime, I have learned a lovely method for making perfect crispy fried onions, good for use in many Middle Eastern dishes, casseroles, pilafs, legumes, or salads, from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Greens and Grains, a present from my mother. In the book, it is part of a much more elaborate recipe, but the onions are so useful, such a fine condiment for so many things, that it deserves to be raised up on its own. The technique is simply this:
Choose a time when you'll be in the house all afternoon or evening; the active effort involved in making these is low, but you need to be around for a while. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Take two pounds (yes, that's rather a lot) of onions. Peel and cut into fine dice. Put into a large, oven-safe skillet with 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons of water, and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and transfer to the oven. Roast for about three hours, stirring every fifteen minutes or so. They will eventually turn a crisp, deep red-brown. Remove the pan from the oven and push the onions to one side of the pan. Tip the pan away from the onions, so that the oil drains away. Scoop out the onions and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, to drain. They will crisp up even more as they cool. The oil, cooled, is very nice for salad dressing.
