Tag Archives: Onions

Vegan Celeriac Soup with Tahini

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2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

6-7 cups celeriac, diced

4 cups broth

1 cup canned white beans

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup tahini

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 cup crushed pita chips

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, for an additional 30 seconds. Add the celery root, broth, beans and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, until the celery root is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the tahini and the lemon juice and, using an immersion (stick) blender, puree until smooth. (Alternatively, allow the soup to cool, then puree in batches in a blender, then reheat.) Add water or additional broth as needed to achieve desired thickness. Taste and season with more salt and/or lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with the parsley and pita chips and serve hot.

Spring Cabbage Soup

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3½ Tbs. salted butter

1 onion, chopped

4½ oz potatoes, diced

3½ cups chicken stock, boiling

9 oz. cabbage leaves, chopped 

¼ to ½ cup light cream 

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

crumbled chorizo or gremolata (optional)

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter. When it foams, add the onions and potatoes and toss them in the butter until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover with a wax paper lid and the lid of the pan and let sweat over gentle heat until soft but not colored, about 10 minutes.  Add the boiling stock and boil until the potatoes are tender.  Add the cabbage and cook, uncovered, until the cabbage is just cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Keep the lid off to preserve the bright green color. Do not overcook or the vegetables will lose both their fresh flavor and color. Using a blender or food processor, blend the soup until smooth. Season to taste.  Add the cream or creamy milk before serving. Serve on its own or with a sprinkling of crumbled cured Spanish chorizo or gremolata over the top, if desired.

SAUTÉED BEET GREENS WITH WASABI AND GINGER

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1 bunch beet thinnings

1 small onion, chopped

1 green garlic, chopped

1 small cauliflower or broccoli raab

½ tsp. wasabi paste

1 Tbs. pickled ginger, chopped

2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

Salt to taste

Heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan.  Add the onion, garlic, and wasabi paste and sauté until the onion is translucent.  Add the chopped beet thinnings, cauliflower or raab, and pickled ginger.  Continue cooking until the beets and cauliflower/raab is tender.  Add salt to taste.  Divide onto plates and top with soft poached eggs and serve with a slice of toast to absorb the yolk and juices.

BRAISED BEETS WITH LEMON AND ALMONDS

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1 ½ Lbs. beets

1 ¼ cups water

Salt and pepper

3 Tbs. cider vinegar

1 Tbs. light brown sugar

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

½ cup toasted almonds, chopped

2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Halve (or quarter) the beets and place them in a single layer in a Dutch oven.  Add water and ¼ tsp salt.   Simmer until beets are tender to a fork.  Transfer the beets to a cutting board to cool.  Meanwhile, increase heat and reduce cooking liquid until the pot is almost dry.  Add vinegar and sugar, return to boil and cook, stirring constantly until the spoon leaves a trail when dragged through the glaze.  Once beets ae cool enough to handle, rub off skins and cut into ½ inch wedges.  Add beets, onions, lemon zest, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp pepper to the glaze.  Toss to coat.  Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with almonds, mint and thyme and serve.  Adapted from Vegetables Illustrated by America’s Test Kitchen

Curried Cream of Carrot Soup

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2 Tbs. butter

2 med. onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp. dry thyme

1 lb. carrots, pared and diced

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tsp. curry powder

1 cup milk or cream

 

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add onion, garlic and thyme.  Sauté until onion is soft.  Add carrots and cook 10 minutes.  Add chicken broth and curry powder.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.  Puree in a blender; return to pan and add milk or cream until the soup reaches desired consistency.  Heat for 5 minutes and serve garnished with yougurt or sour cream and chives.

Winter Squash and Black-Eyed Peas Coconut Curry

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2 ½ lb. winter squash, cut into 3/4-inch wedges

2 Tbsp. avocado oil

1 Tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 serrano chile, halved

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

½ tsp. turmeric

1 can coconut milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine squash, oil, garam masala, 1 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. ground pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat; arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When seeds begin to pop, add onion and serrano. Cook until onion is soft and golden, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are jammy around the edge, about 3 minutes. Stir in turmeric, then cocnut milk and adjust salt and pepper. Add roasted squash and fold to mix with curry. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6. Adapted from Food and Wine March 2018

Cipollini and Carrots with Short Ribs

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4 pounds beef short ribs

About 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt

About 1/2 tbsp. pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 cup coarsely chopped carrot

1 cup coarsely chopped celery

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3 tablespoons flour

1 bottle (750 ml.) dry red wine

About 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick (2 in. long)

1 1/4 pounds small carrots, trimmed

1 1/4 pounds cipollini onions, peeled

Preheat oven to 300°. Rinse and dry short ribs. Sprinkle all over with 1/2 tbsp. each salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp. oil and the butter to a large, deep ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown short ribs all over, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl as done. Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and ginger to pot and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add cumin and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Pour wine and 2 cups broth into pot and add peppercorns and cinnamon stick; stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Return short ribs and any accumulated juices to pot. Liquid should just cover them; add a little more broth if necessary. Cover and bake until meat is very tender when pierced, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, spread small carrots and cipollini onions in a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. oil and mix to coat; cover with foil. Set in oven after ribs have baked about 1 1/2 hours, and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and roast until vegetables are tender when pierced and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes longer. If necessary, broil 4 to 6 in. from heat to brown a little more, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lift ribs from cooking liquid, cover, and keep warm. Strain liquid into a wide pan, skim off fat, and boil until sauce is reduced to about 2 cups and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Arrange ribs in wide, shallow bowls. Spoon carrots and cipollini onions around them and drizzle with a little sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side. From myrecipes.com.

World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage

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  • 1 medium head green cabbage
  • 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
  • 1 large carrot, cut into ¼-inch rounds
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup chicken stock or water
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly oil a large gratin or baking dish (9×13 inch works well).  Peel any ragged outer leaves off cabbage.  Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges.Arrange the wedges in the baking dish in a single layer; they may overlap some but not too much.  If all the cabbage doesn’t fit, remove a wedge and use for something else.  Scatter in the onion and carrot.  Drizzle over the oil and the stock or water.  Season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.  Cover tightly with foil and slide into the middle of the oven to braise until the vegetables are completely tender, about 2 hours.  Turn the cabbage wedges with tongs after an hour.  Don’t worry if the wedges want to fall apart as you turn them; just do your best to keep them intact.  If the dish is drying out at all, add a few tablespoons of water.  Once the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil, increase oven heat to 400 degrees and roast the vegetables until they begin to brown, another 15 minutes or so.  Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with a little more coarse salt.  The cabbage is excellent the next day, too, either at room temperature or warmed in a moderate oven for 20 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

From All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens.

Warm Red Cabbage Salad

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  • ¾ cup walnuts
  • 2 tsp. walnut oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 small red cabbage
  • 1 crisp red apple
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3-4 oz. goat cheese, broken into large pieces
  • 1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
  • ½ tsp. marjoram, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix walnut pieces with walnut oil, some salt and freshly-ground pepper,  Toast them in oven for 5-7 minutes, or until they begin to smell nutty.  Let them cool.  Quarter the cabbage, core, and slice thinly crosswise.  Cut the apple into sixths, core, then slice thinly crosswise.  Put the garlic, vinegar, and oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat.  As soon as they are hot, add onion and saute for 30 seconds.  Add cabbage and continue to cook, stirring, for approximately 2 minutes, until just wilted.  Season with salt, plenty of pepper, and more vinegar, if necessary, to sharpen the flavors.  Add the goat cheese, apple, herbs, and walnuts.  Toss briefly and serve.

Serves four to six.

From The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with Edward Espe Brown.

We’ve made a variation on this salad by eliminating the apple and starting the whole process by cooking a few strips of bacon in the pan before sautéing the onion.  We add the vinegar at the end.

Vegetarian Baeckoffe

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Translated from the Germanic Alsatian dialect, baeckeoffe means “baker’s oven,” as it was traditionally a dish that was brought to the local baker to cook in his oven. Classic versions are loaded with meat, but our vegetarian riff is equally hearty and rich.

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 pound sliced mushroom caps
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 large thyme sprig
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 cups vertically sliced onion (about 2 medium onions)
  • 1 (8-ounce) Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into (1/4-inch-thick) slices
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 (6-ounce) turnip, peeled and cut into (1/8-inch-thick) slices
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.  Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan, and sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add wine; cook 2 minutes. Add parsley, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; discard thyme. Add cream cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Remove mushroom mixture from pan. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.  Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium; continue cooking for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown, stirring frequently. Set aside.  Coat a 6-cup baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in dish, and top with spinach. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper evenly over spinach. Spoon the mushroom mixture over black pepper, and arrange turnip slices over mushroom mixture. Top with caramelized onions; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and tarragon. Pour whipping cream over tarragon, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cheese begins to brown.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)