The onion – this simple food, the basis of many cuisines around the world – reveals all its elegance when it is steamed. Its sulfurous and spicy character disappears and gives way to a sweeter, more delicate taste and a honey-like texture. This is even more true if, like this recipe for braised onions, butter, aromatic herbs and red wine are included.
As our editor Mònica Escudero explained in her article about the purpose of each type of onion – and a trick to avoid crying while chopping – there are different types, each with different qualities. For this particular recipe we chose yellow onions (the usual one with golden brown skin, wow), but you can also use sweet white onions or shallots. More important for the success of this dish, as it is one of its main elements, is the use of a decent red wine: that is, not one from a tetrabrik, nor one that has been stored open in the refrigerator for three weeks – not even crushed, of course – but you must Also don’t invest in a Grand Cru from Burgundy.
To prepare the white bean puree that goes with the onions, we start with cooked legumes from a jar and cook them a second time for the same purpose as Mikel López Iturriaga did in this video. The ending in question? Soften them a little, absorb salt and some flavors and remove their skin or at least part of it more easily.
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Suitable for the clumsy
Ingredients
For 4 people
- 8 small onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 150 ml red wine
- 100 ml water
- 30g butter
- 400g cooked white beans
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 sprig of fresh or dried rosemary
- 6 or 7 fresh sage leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- olive oil
- Salt
- Ground black pepper and grains
instructions
1.
Put the cooked beans in a pot with cumin, bay leaf and a few grinds of black pepper. Salt and cover with water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Collect four tablespoons of the cooking water, strain and remove any peels that have come off.
2.
Using a hand blender or food processor, combine the beans with half the butter and the cooking water. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped sage, mix and set aside.
3.
Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthwise (i.e. from the root to the opposite end).
4.
In a saucepan, preferably with a thick bottom, heat the remaining butter with a splash of olive oil over low heat. Add the crushed unpeeled garlic, rosemary and thyme. Place the onions in a single layer, inside side down, and allow them to slowly brown completely.
5.
Turn the onions carefully so they don’t fall apart and season with salt and pepper. Add the red wine and water and cook over low heat for 20 minutes until very soft.
6.
Serve the bean puree hot with the braised onions.
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