Roast kumara & blue cheese pasta with caramelised onions
Caramelised onions (or use store-bought)
Makes 1 cups Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 40 minutes
cup olive oil 5 medium red onions, peeled and sliced – aim for thin slices
teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons caster sugar Sea salt and black pepper to taste Small pinch chilli flakes, optional
Heat olive oil in a big heavybased pot. Add onions and salt and cook over a medium heat for 25-30 minutes until nice and soft, stirring every once in a while so that they don’t catch on the bottom. In between stirring, half cover with the pot lid – I always rest it on a wooden spoon laid across the top of the pot, so it is mostly covered, but not completely.
After half an hour add balsamic vinegar and sugar, remove lid completely and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you like a little heat, throw the chilli flakes in now too. Once you add the sugar the onions will brown up more and caramelise – if your heat is a little low, you might want to increase it a bit. If the onions seem a little, dry add an extra tablespoon of olive oil and stir through, then season with salt and black pepper. Leave to cool then spoon into a sealable jar or container.
To complete the dish:
2 Serves 6 Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 40 minutes 1 yellow kumara 1 orange kumara 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons runny honey teaspoon cumin seeds teaspoon chilli flakes Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup caramelised onions (see recipe above or use store-bought) 4 tablespoons butter cup flour
cups whole milk teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup tasty cheese, grated plus 1 tablespoon
50g blue cheese crumbled (plus extra 50g, optional)
250g pasta shells, tubes or macaroni
3 slices white toast bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves plus extra to garnish
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel and chop the kumara into 4cm pieces and put in a roasting dish. Drizzle with oil and honey and sprinkle with cumin seeds, chilli flakes, sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 minutes until just soft.
Heat three tablespoons of the