Baked Onions

I like onion, fried , baked , cooked on the grill, however, I like them. So I thought this sounded pretty tasty!


Serves 4




4 tennis-ball-sized white onions, peeled

3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms

3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary

8-9 tbls double (heavy) cream. You can also use light cream or a mixture of both

4 slices of pancetta or streaky bacon

A few good handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for topping
 
Boil the onions for 15 minutes or steam for about 25. The onions need to be slightly tender.


Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. With a sharp knife cut an inch off the stem end of each onion. Then, cut about a heaping tablespoon out of the inside of each onion being sure to leave the outer layers intact. Finely chop and set aside for the filling.



Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap each hollowed onion with a slice of pancetta or bacon and secure with a sharpened sprig of rosemary if desired.



Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add reserved chopped onion, garlic, mushrooms and rosemary. Cook for a few minutes until softened. Add cream and remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.



Place onions onto a roasting tray and spoon some of the cream mixture into each one. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and bake for about 25-30 minutes until tender, depending on the size of the onions.



Recipe adapted from 'Happy Days with the Naked Chef' by Jamie Oliver.