Melting Middle Onions Recipes

MELTING ONIONS

Steps:

• Position rack in upper third of oven. Preheat to 450°F.
• Toss onions, oil, butter, sage (or thyme), salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread in a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan (don't use glass or ceramic, which might shatter). Roast, turning once, until browned on both sides, 30 to 35 minutes total.
• Turn the onions again and carefully add broth to the pan. Continue roasting until the broth is reduced and the onions are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes more.

MELTING MIDDLE ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut a small disc off the root bottom of each onion so they stand upright. Cut 1cm slices off the tops (these will be used as lids), then put back on top of the onions. Wrap each onion in foil, transfer to a baking tray, and bake for 1 hr until tender.
• Melt the butter in a pan. Tip into a bowl. Add the pine nuts to the pan and toast over a low heat for 2 mins until golden. Add to the butter with the breadcrumbs, garlic, thyme, parsley and egg. Stir, then season.
• Cut the cheese into 8 chunky cubes. When the onions are cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft centres, leaving a few layers of onion at the edge. Finely chop the scooped-out centres from 2 onions, and add to the breadcrumb mix (reserve the rest to use in another recipe, such as ragu). Spoon the breadcrumb mixture into the hollowed-out onions so they're halfway full, then push a piece of cheese into the middle of each and top up with more breadcrumb mixture. Top each onion with its 'lid', then roast for 35-40 mins more until tender and the cheese is melted.

MELTING ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5. Have ready a baking dish that you can fit all the onions in upright, snugly.
• Carefully trim the bizarre bits from the root end of the onion, leaving the root and skins intact. Trim a sliver from the other end as well. Make a cross cut into each onion 3/4 of the way down the height of the onion, taking care not to cut all the way to the bottom.
• Rub the onions all over with the oil, season with salt and pepper and then fit snugly into a small ovenproof dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Roast for 70 minutes. Uncover. Divide the butter amongst the onions, sliding it down into the centers. Bake for a further 25 minutes, basting them with the melted butter a few times. Serve at once.

MELTING-MIDDLE BAKED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Trim the bases of the onions so they stand up in a baking tray, and cut the tops flat, about 1cm down, so you can see most of the onion layers. Pour 1cm boiling water into the tray, add the bay leaves and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1-1¼ hours until they are soft all the way through when pierced with a skewer.
• Pour any liquid from the bottom of the tray away, and leave to cool for 20 minutes until they are cool enough to touch. Pull out the centres of the onions by gently squeezing them, they should pop out of the top, or use a spoon to scoop out the layers. Leave about 4 or 5 outer onion layers as a shell. Finely chop the soft onion middles, season with salt and lots of black pepper, and add a pinch of thyme leaves, and pack into the onion shells to fill them about 2cm up. Discard any onion left over (or use for soup). Mix the cheese, garlic, nutmeg, half the thyme leaves and season. Spoon into the onions on top of the chopped onion, packing the cheese in densely, as the cheese will melt and reduce when cooked.
• Toss the bread cubes with 1 tbsp oil, the remaining thyme and season well. Add to the tops of the onions. Drizzle over a little more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are golden and crunchy. Serve with a green salad or vegetables.

MELTED ONIONS

Steps:

• Combine ingredients in a large skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions break down and are completely soft (they will be a lovely medium to dark brown), several hours.

SMOTHERED ONION PATTY MELTS

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, saute onions in oil for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the mustard, garlic, thyme, oregano and remaining salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties. , Grill patties, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Place each patty on a slice of toast; top with cheese, onions and remaining toast.

CHEESY CHICKEN MELT WITH ALL OF THE ONIONS RELISH

Steps:

• Heat a large sauté pan with 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until it is smoking. Season the chicken with 3⁄4 teaspoon of the salt and gently place it in the pan. Cook on one side until almost cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds, or until it is no longer pink. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.
• Immediately add the yellow onion and the remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil to the pan. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is dark and smells amazing but is not burnt. If it's getting too dark, lower the heat. Add the vinegar, along with the liquid that has collected on the plate where the chicken is resting, and turn the heat to low. Simmer the onion for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the onion to a bowl, using a rubber spatula to scrape the pan out completely. When the onion has cooled down a little, about 5 minutes, add the red onion, scallions, fried shallots, and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the same pan. Lay out two slices of bread on your work surface and place a slice of cheese on each. Top each piece of cheese with half of the onions, two pieces of chicken, and another slice of cheese, and cover with another slice of bread. Place the sandwiches in the pan with the melted butter. Cook over medium heat, about 3 minutes, until the cheese on the bottom slice is melted and the bread is nicely toasted. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and flip the sandwiches. Cook them for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bottom is toasty. Remove the sandwiches from the pan, cut them in half, and insert a frilly toothpick or cocktail sword near the top in each half and serve.