Gorgonzola Onions au Gratin
Adapted from The Garden of Earthly Delights by Shea MacKenzieServes 4 to 8 as a side dish
What could be more luscious than sweet, caramel-colored onions crisp walnuts and creamy Gorgonzola? Allowing the onions to sit in a boiling water bath for a few minutes will sweeten them. This is a great technique when you want the onions to be particularly sweet!
4 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
Boiling water to cover the onions
Vegetable oil to coat the baking dish
¼ cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 teaspoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (could substitute Panko bread crumbs)
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or 2 teaspoons dried chives
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 4 ounces)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, Asiago or Grana Padana cheese
Place the onions in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before draining.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 1-quart baking dish with vegetable oil and set aside.
In a large skillet heat the vermouth and one tablespoon of the olive oil over low heat. Add the onions and the garlic and sauté until the onions are very soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Allow the sautéed onions and garlic to cool slightly, then add the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
In the same skillet heat the butter and the remaining olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the breadcrumbs and stir so all the crumbs are well coated. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown (about 5 minutes).
Stir in the onion-garlic mixture, walnuts, chives and Gorgonzola cheese into the bread crumbs. Spoon into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Bake until the casserole is very hot and the top has started to brown (about 20 minutes). Serve piping hot!
Revision 1. Last edited Tue 23 Nov 2010 8:01pm by DonnaSavastio