Hi er'body!
Firstly, huge thanks to @chefsteve, @offoodandart and @pandamama from the @cookwithus team for hosting this most wonderous weekly contest!
If you haven't entered yet, head on down and meet the community of beautiful humans making delicious things!
So this week's primary theme is vegan- with onion being the mystery theme.
Naturally, I had to feature an onion.
While we had a little sunshine on Sunday, it's been pouring with rain all week and I think I subconsciously sought the warm-snuggly feeling only food in a bowl can provide. What started with a lone breadtin filled with confit onions, radishes and garlic ended up as a warm stack of comfort made for Autumn.
Here's how I made it:
Autumn Bowl:
(Serves 2)
Confit Onion, Garlic and Radish:
- Enough extra virgin olive oil to cover veggies- about 300ml, more if your container is larger. (it seems like a lot, but the oil will be used in several parts of the recipe, is beautifully infused with flavour and can be used in cooking, salad dressings or even aioli for future recipes.)
- 2 Sprigs of Thyme
- 1 Tsp Coriander seeds (it adds lovely warmth to onions. Highly recommended)
- 1 White onion, quartered with root intact
- 6-10 baby radishes, depending on size (Wash thoroughly and pat dry before adding to oil)
- 6 Cloves of garlic, whole
Method:
- In a small, oven proof container, fit onions, garlic and radishes and pour over oil to cover completely.
- Add coriander and thyme and place in a low oven (lowest mine goes is 130c) for 40-60 minutes, depending on the lowest setting, until soft.
- Allow to cool in the oil .
- Griddle onions, garlic and radishes until slightly charred just before serving. Season with salt and pepper.
Steam-Roasted Beets
- 4 baby or 1 large beet.
###Method
- Wrap in foil and place in oven with the confit veggies. Depending on the size they may need to stay in a little longer. They're ready when they feel like a ripe avocado when squeezed. (Very technical, I know!)
- Keep warm and peel just before serving by wiping it with the foil it's been baked in, the skin should pop right off, this takes about an hour depending on the size of your beets.
- Cut into wedges and drizzle with a little lemon and oil from the confit mixture before seasoning with salt.
Cauliflower Puree
- 1 Cauliflower, broken into florets
- Juice of Half a lemon
- 1 Tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- Salt and white pepper
- 1 Tbsp Confit oil
Method:
- Place in a pot with 1/2 Cup of water, squeeze of lemon and a little salt.
- Cover with a lid and steam on medium heat until a piece pressed into the side of the pot with a spoon mashes easily, about 6 minutes.
- Add confit oil, nutritional yeast (if using) and season then place in blender with cooking liquid and pulse until smooth. (a stick blender works fine here too!)
- Return to pot and keep warm until serving.
##Mustard Onion Sauce
- 1 White onion sliced
- 1/4 yellow pepper, diced
- 1 Tbsp Confit oil and the garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp Whole Grain Mustard
- 1 Tsp Mustard Powder
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1/4 Cup of white wine vinegar
- 1 Cup Vegetable Stock (I used powdered)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Sprig of thyme
Method:
- Saute onions and peppers with garlic, thyme and oil over low heat until caramelized
- Deglaze with vinegar before adding mustard powder, honey, whole grain mustard and stock.
- Simmer over high heat, stirring regularly until reduced by half.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper
Griddle Vegetables
- 1/4 Butternut sliced thinly (I used a mandolin, and the top half of a butternut to get even pieces, the rest was used for soup!)
- 4-6 Brown or Cremini Mushrooms, depending on size (I ued 6 Creminis, but that's because I'm a little mushroom glutton)
- Confit onions and radishes
- Sprig of thyme and seasoning to taste.
- Brush griddle pan with a little confit oil and turn up the heat.
- Add thyme and veggies and griddle until beautifully charred and lovely barmarks have formed- about 4 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sesame Rice Crackers
(These are worth making a huge batch of and storing in an airtight container as a snack.)
- 1 Cup cooked rice
- 1/2 Cup Rice Flour
- 1 Cup Water
- 1/2 Tsp smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
- Salt, Pepper to taste
###Method:
- Place rice, rice flour, water, paprika and seasoning in a blender and pulse until a coarse paste forms (you can make it super smooth, but I like the texture of little bits of rice)
- Spread a quarter of the mixture about 5mm thick onto a silicon mat or well-greased baking sheet, sprinkle with an even layer of sesame seeds and bake in low oven (with your confit veggies is fine) until dehydrated and crisp, but still blonde
- Break into shards and store in airtight container until ready to use. (Freeze mix for later baking up to a month, or repeat with the rest and store for up to a week)
##Quick Pickle Radish
- 1 large or 2 small radishes sliced thinly
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1Tsp honey
- 1/2 Tsp Coriander Seeds
Method:
- In a small microwaveable container, heat coriander seeds, vinegar and honey until boiling.
- Stir in Radishes and set aside to cool.
To Assemble:
- Spoon Cauli Puree onto bottom of a bowl.
- Layer veggies decoratively, leaving just a small gap in the middle so the puree can still be seen
- Spoon over onion sauce
- Top with Rice Crackers and sprigs of thyme.
- Serve hot and eat it on your lap somewhere comfy.
