Pecorino Onions
These rather glamorous looking onions are simple to put together and then sit quietly in your oven slowly becoming soft and juicy, ready for their attractive cheese and créme fraiche topping. Doing just a little extra with vegetables always gives the impression of having put in enormous work and effort.
Ingredients
4 medium sized onions
Fresh herbs (I used thyme, bay and rosemary)
Small glug of olive oil
40g grated pecorino cheese (you could substitute parmesan, taleggio, cheddar)
4 tsps. créme fraiche
Pinch cayenne (optional)
Pinch paprika
Oven 190c, 170 fan
You need a roasting pan or oven to table dish which fits the onions snugly and is deep enough to hold them in an upright position; also foil and a sheet of baking parchment large enough to enclose the onions in a parcel. Position the parchment on top of the foil.
Method
Peel the onions and sit them on the parchment and foil inside the roasting pan; tuck in the fresh herbs, drizzle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper
Bring the foil and parchment together and scrunch into a loose parcel which will trap the steam produced as the onions cook inside.
Bake in an oven 190c (see above) for about one and a half hours, or until the onions are completely soft and sitting in gorgeous oniony juices.
Use a teaspoon to press a crater into the top of each onion, fill generously with the grated pecorino or other cheese of your choice and, if you are using it, top with the pinch of cayenne.
Return to the oven (uncovered this time) for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Top each onion with a teaspoon of crème fraiche and a pinch of paprika. A sprinkling of crispy bacon is a good addition.
Helpful Hints
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