Just Baking

When I tucked into this dish, it reminded me of a little piece of fortune cookie wisdom which found its way to my hand not very long ago : “A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.”

When it came to share this delicious recipe with you, I thought I’d better investigate the cook who bought that recipe to my table, and what I found truly gobsmacked me. Why was I not told? How come I did not know, had never heard of her? Have I been living with a paper bag over my head for the past many years? Well no, I did not know Angela Hartnett, and now I read that she is the UK leading female chef. Earlier on in her career she got a job in Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen. She lasted 12 years — that in itself seems to me like a feat. Her restaurant has its very own Michelin star; she received an MBE from the Queen for services to the Hospitality Industry.

Last year, she published her first book of recipes Cucina, which was acclaimed by its readers and the pros alike, and if that was not enough, she has been taught her skills by a Italian grandmother, though the latter is just for me to cleverly link her biography to the stuffed onions recipe which seems to be a little bit like a signature family dish.

Stuffed Onions

Ingredients:Olive oil and butter

2 shallots

1 carrot

1 finely diced celery stick (that I did not use, as there is a serious case of celeryphobia at home)

10 g of dried porcini mushrooms (which will have to be presoaked in 1/4 litre of hot water, according to the packet instructions)

A little bit of tomato puree

Splash of red wine

4 large onions

100g breadcrumbs

100g grated Parmesan

Parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
To make the sauce, heat some oil and butter in a pan and add two finely chopped shallots, one finely diced carrot, and one finely diced celery stick and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add 10g of dried porcini mushrooms (presoaked in about 250 ml of hot water for 5 mins) and cook for a further 2-3 mins.

Add a squirt of tomato puree and a splash of red wine and bubble until completely reduced. Finally, add the strained mushroom liquid, reduce the heat, and simmer for up to 1 hour. (Though my sauce took less time to reduce.) Keep a little bit of the liquid, you will need it later on.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add 4 peeled whole onions, and boil for 3 mins. Drain and cut them in half and scoop out the centre with a spoon until you’re left with just 2-3 layers of skin.

Chop the scooped out centre of the onions finely and add these to a bowl of 100g breadcrumbs and 100g grated Parmesan cheese and a splash of the mushroom water (enough to bind the stuffing together).

Add parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Finally, put the onions in an overproof dish, drizzle with olive oil, stuff them with the Parmesan breadcrumbs and spoon over the mushroom sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes at 200C (gas mark 6).
When it came time to upload a picture, the reason why I uploaded one of Vincent’s still lifes is because mine looked like this!