TIME TO FEAST

Giovanna Ryan on cooking with onions

The onion is our most often used, yet probably most underrated, vegetable. Despite its versatility, it is seldom given the spotlight. From the sharp and unruly brown onion to the sweet and fragrant shallot and fresh and vibrant spring onion, their flavours can be transformed in cooking. Slow sauteéing of brown onions in butter, for example, renders them sweet and rich, deep-frying shallots will give them a bitter-sweet edge, while roasting spring onions will bring out their earthy, more mellow side.

Perhaps the reason onions are so rarely heroed in a dish is because they’re indispensable as the base of so many soups, stews and sauces. A classic mirepoix consists of finely chopped onion, celery and carrot. Sometimes the carrot is omitted and other ingredients are used, but onions are non-negotiable because of their flavour.

Onions have a high sugar content, which is why they caramelize so well when cooked and can catch easily if left on a high heat. Slow-cooked sliced onions on a hotdog on a chilly day are one of life’s simple pleasures. Wedges of red onion rubbed with a little salt and olive oil are delicious roasted until soft, then thrown into a salad or onto a flatbread with stinky cheese melted over. Cheese and onion, as the crisps would suggest, are great friends, and the combination is found in hundreds of dishes: French onion soup topped with croutons piled high with grated Gruyère, a creamy cheese and onion tart, or simply soft-cooked onions folded through cheese-laden mashed potatoes.

Raw onion added to salad can provide much-needed sharpness to an otherwise rather flat collection of leaves. If you don’t like the flavour, soak sliced onions in water for 15min first, or pickle them. I use pickled red onions to brighten soups (especially ramen), stews and salads. You can buy them ready made but they’re easy to do yourself. Slice red onion into ½cm semi-circles and cover with rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, and add salt and sugar to taste. You can also add coriander seeds, a bay leaf or cumin. Leave for at least an hour for a quick pickle or up to a week in the fridge.

In their book Flavour, Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage have caused somewhat of an onion revolution with their miso onions – all you need are onions, miso and butter. Time and heat do the rest and the result is spectacular. For Giovanna’s supper clubs and butchery company, see cookandfeast.co.uk