I, like many people out there, equate the sound of Rachael Ray’s voice with nails on a chalk board. Her expressions like “E.V.O.O. and Yum-O” being exclaimed in that raspy yell make me want to run, far, far away from my TV but even I have to admit that once in a long, long while, she makes a really good recipe. Being Rachael Ray, though, she still has to give it a name that makes me shudder (“That’s Shallota Flavor Spaghetti.”)

I saw this recipe on a food network show about a zillion years ago and thought it sounded completely nasty. At the time I was president of Onion Haters Anonymous and the idea of making a pasta sauce almost entirely out of an onion relative sounded absurd.  For some reason, though, the recipe shacked up in my brain and would not leave. I didn’t notice it in there, I think it was hibernating next to a latent love of onion rings. After my disdain for onions blossomed into a begrudged affection, that recipe woke up and starting calling my name. I looked it up online, adapted it to meet my personal tastes and made it. And loved it. And made it again and again and again. It’s got an almost indescribable flavor; buttery, savory, sweet and rich. Surprisingly complex considering the only flavor in it comes from shallots, a touch a of garlic and a pinch of fresh parsley. I am in love with this pasta dish.

Adapted (with a bit of shame) from Rachael Ray.

Serves 1 or 2 depending on how hungry you are
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 2 small cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
- 6 shallots, thinly sliced into rings
- 1/4 cup white wine
- Salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup of reserved pasta water, removed from spaghetti water before draining
- 4-6 oz Ancient Harvest Quinoa Spaghetti
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Heat the oil with the butter over medium heat in a dutch oven. Add garlic and shallots and cook gently until caramelized about 20-30 minutes or more, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile heat a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the pasta, salt the water very liberally then bring back to a boil. Cook to al dente. Reserve some water before draining the pasta.

not quite there

When the shallots are deep golden and caramelized, pour in the wine and deglaze the pan. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of pasta water to the shallots and stir.

perfection

Add pasta and to shallots and toss gently. Add salt to taste. Toss 1 to 2 minutes over low heat for liquid to absorb then serve.

Top with lots of grated parmesan and a bit of freshly chopped parsley. TO DIE FOR!

stunning chartreuse and violet romanesco

I’ve been holding on to this recipe for ages. I made and photographed this one over a year ago. I’m not really sure why it took me so long to post it. I think one reason is that I had just gotten my fancy camera and romaesco is such a fetching photographic subject that I took dozens and dozens of pictures of it and the idea of culling those myriad photos down to the keepers seemed pretty daunting. When I opened the folder today, I laughed to see how useless most of the pictures were; indeed even the “keepers” I show here are definitely not my best work. I am still learning and have a long way to go but I think I have made progress over the last year. Despite the iffy, out of focus pictures, this is a recipe that must be shared. It is so rich and luscious. It combines three of my most favorite foods ever and does it in a surprising, savory way. Cauliflower-like romanesco is roasted until the tips are brown and crispy, onions are melted down into a caramelized heap and both are baked into a cheesy custard topped with even MORE bubbly golden cheese. Droooooool.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients
- 1  small to medium head of romanesco or (any color) cauliflower (about 1 pound) cut into 1-inch florets
- 3 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp truffle oil or a few pinches of truffle salt (optional)
- 1 refrigerated or frozen gluten-free pie crust (I used a Whole Foods frozen crust and my friends were shocked that it was 1. frozen 2. gluten free)
- 1 large onion, halved lenghtwise and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (7- 8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/8 tsp ground white or black pepper
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Position rack in center of oven. Toss romanesco with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl.
Spread on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, turn florets over and continue roasting until brown and tender, another 15 – 25 min.
Cool romanesco then thinly slice  and drizzle with truffle oil or sprinkle with truffle salt, if using. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Follow instructions on pie crust far par baking.

Line crust with foil, fill with pie weights and bake as directed. Remove foil and weights then bake until crust is golden, about 5 additional minutes. Cool crust and maintain oven temperature.
Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook 30 to 60 minutes stirring occasionally until onion is deeply caramelized.

Go as slow as you need to to get deep golden, buttery soft onions that aren’t burned. Cool slightly.

Use an offset spatula or brush to spread the bottom and sides of crust with Dijon mustard.
Spread onion in an even layer over the crust.

Arrange romanesco over the onion.

Set the tart on a rimmed baking sheet (to protect against leaks).

Whisk eggs, mascarpone, cream and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère.
Pour mixture over filling in tart pan and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes before serving.
Whole tart can be made and baked a day in advance, reheated in a low oven before serving.

Enjoy!

When I was a kid I hated onions so much, I wouldn’t even touch any dish I suspected might have onions in it. I couldn’t stand the texture – slimy on the outside, crunchy on the inside. I hated the bitter, spicy flavor that left my mouth burning and my eyes watering. I could never understand why people put them in everything from pasta sauce to salads.

Before the picky kicked in I was the chunky gourmet

My hatred of onions was probably the biggest factor in my childhood pickiness. Mexican food? No way! Full of onions! Italian? Maybe, but only fettuccini alfredo and forget putting any pepper in it! Chinese food? Hmmm. Suspicious. Who knows what’s in those egg rolls? Don’t think so. For the most part my diet consisted of cucumbers sliced into rounds, sprinkled with cheese and Bac-Os (shudder) and drenched in ranch dressing or pasta with butter and parmesan cheese. Occasionally I would switch it up with a Cup-O-Noodles (with all the veggies dumped out, naturally) or SpaghettiOs. Hmmm. I’m noticing a pattern here. I pretty much only ate foods with -Os in them. I’ve come a long way, baby!

There was one onion-laden recipe that I couldn’t resist. I don’t know what convinced me to try it the first time but once I had it, I was hooked. This recipe only made an appearance once a year. It was part of the pre-Thanksgiving spread at my Grandma Max’s house along with her dill-seasoned oyster crackers and Chex mix.

My cousin and I trying on Grandma Max's wigs before Thanksgiving dinner

It was the French onion dip that won me over. It was nothing fancy, I’m pretty sure it came out of an envelope or maybe even a refrigerated tub but it was so tasty it forced me to overcome my chronic onion revulsion for one day every year. Here is a gussied up version of that recipe. I urge even the most onion averse of you out there to give it a try. It’s sweet, toasty, creamy and salty. It’s also hellishly addictive so if you are making it for a party you might want to double or quadruple this recipe. You won’t be sorry.

Ingredients:

-  2 large yellow onions (I used 3 small to medium ones)
- 1 large shallot
-  2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2-3 drops of Cholula (or hot sauce of your choice)
- 2-3 drops of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (if you like that sort of thing)
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick (or thinner) half-rounds. Simply slice the shallots into the thinnest rounds you can. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or as long as it takes until  the onions are a deep, warm, brown and caramelized. This could take an hour or more. Patience is key.

Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese,

sour cream,

and mayonnaise

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Add the hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce then taste and tinker as needed.

Serve at room temperature.