Name: Whole roasted stuffed onions with cream, parmesan and mushrooms
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 onions, peeled, keeping root intact; 40 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 50 gm flat mild pancetta, finely diced; 2 field mushrooms, finely chopped; 25 gm dried porcini, soaked for 5 minutes in warm water, drained, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 60 gm double cream; 60 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra for scattering; 50 gm coarse sourdough breadcrumbs; 1 tsp finely chopped thyme, plus extra sprigs to serve; Finely grated rind of ½ lemon; 600 ml pouring cream

Whole roasted stuffed onions with cream, parmesan and mushrooms

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for whole roasted stuffed onions with cream, parmesan and mushrooms.

Serves 6

Prep

30M

Cook

1H 20M

Total

1H 50M

This recipe is inspired by one by Nigel Slater. It’s important to keep the onion shells intact when removing the insides.

Ingredients

6 onions, peeled, keeping root intact

40 gm butter, coarsely chopped

50 gm flat mild pancetta, finely diced

2 field mushrooms, finely chopped

25 gm dried porcini, soaked for 5 minutes in warm water, drained, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

60 gm double cream

60 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra for scattering

50 gm coarse sourdough breadcrumbs

1 tsp finely chopped thyme, plus extra sprigs to serve

Finely grated rind of ½ lemon

600 ml pouring cream

Method

Main

1.Cook onions in a large saucepan of simmering salted water over low-medium heat until tender (20-30 minutes). Drain, then, when cool enough to handle, cut 2cm from top of each onion. Remove excess onion from inside tops with a small sharp knife and set tops aside (discard excess onion). Score centres of onion bases, then remove inside of onion with a knife so that a thick layer of onion remains to form a shell (do not pierce the shell; discard two-thirds of the excess onion). Finely chop remaining onion, set aside.

2.Preheat oven to 180C. Heat butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add reserved chopped onion, pancetta, field mushroom, porcini and garlic and sauté until tender (8-10 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool, then add double cream, parmesan, breadcrumbs, thyme and lemon rind and season to taste. Spoon into onion skins, then place reserved tops on onions (you may have some mixture left over). Place in a baking dish to fit onions snugly. Pour over pouring cream, scatter with thyme sprigs. Bake until golden and warmed through (40-50 minutes; scatter with extra parmesan during last 10 minutes of cooking), serve hot.