Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Yotam Ottolenghi: Miso Butter Onions


I saw this dish on Pinterest and very quickly realized it came out of a cookbook I had not yet used, so it gave me an excuse to try it out.  It's very simple, with only four ingredients, but they really do meld together into something greater than the sum of the parts.  This is a wonderful option for a meatless meal, as it still has all of the umami notes that a meat dish would have.

Note: My oven only went to 475°F on the bake setting, and it worked just fine, just took a little longer to cook than listed below.  Also, I'm not sure where he's getting these tiny onions or giant shallots, but I was only able to find five small-ish white onions that totaled the called for weight, and that seemed to work fine.  This also probably impacted my cook time.

Miso Butter Onions
From Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi

8 small onions or 8 large shallots, about 5¼ ounces each, for a total of 2⅔ pounds
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon white or other miso paste
4 cups warm water

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Halve the onions or shallots lengthwise, discarding the papery skin, as well as the layer beneath if it is tough or dry. Trim the tops and a little off the bottom (not too much - you want to ensure the onion halves stay held together at the base).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, miso, and warm water until fully combined.

Place the onion halves, cut-side down and spaced apart, in a 9x13-inch high-sided baking dish or pan and pour in the miso water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and turn the onions over so they are cut-side up (take care to ensure they remain intact). Baste the onions very well, then return to the oven, uncovered, for another 45 to 50 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until the onions are very soft, deeply browned on top, and the sauce has reduced to a gravy consistency.

Carefully transfer the onions to a platter, pouring the sauce over and around them, and serve at once.

Makes 6 servings

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