Bacon (or guanciale), cheese, and egg make such a
fine, creamy sauce together, we should be applying them to more than just pasta.
A sheen of carbonara goes well on pizza, wilted greens—even steamed onions.
A sheen of carbonara goes well on pizza, wilted greens—even steamed onions.
When chef Michel Richard devised this recipe, he
planned it as a low-carb alternative to spaghetti (in case there were any
question of his intentions, he called it “Low Carb-O-Nara”). But what he
discovered was that steamed onion masquerading as pasta is really good for its
own reasons entirely.
When you slice an onion into long ribbons and
steam them, the ribbons taste clean and sweet, all their fire washed away.
They’ll also retain their form a bit better than if you were to sauté them, so
you can neatly twirl them around a fork. It may seem fussy and wasteful to use
only the longest loops you can extract from an onion, but you can use the
remains for something else. Chicken stock or pasta with yogurt
and caramelized onions, perhaps.
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main
dish
4 ounces (110g) sliced
applewood-smoked bacon
3 large yellow onions (about 12
ounces/340g each)
½ cup (120ml) heavy
cream
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons unsalted
butter
Fine sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated
Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1 Stack the slices of bacon, wrap in plastic wrap, and
place in the freezer to firm. This will make them easier to cut.
2 To cut the onions using a meat slicer, cut off the
root end of each onion and discard. Then cut off the other ends. With a paring
knife, core each onion by cutting a cone-shaped piece from the root end of the
onion, much as you would remove the stem of an apple. Stand each onion on one
end and cut a vertical slit from top to bottom, just reaching the center. This
will result in long strands of onion rather than rings when the onion is sliced.
Set the slicer to cut ⅛-inch (3mm) slices. Place a flat end of an onion against
the blade and slice. Alternatively, to cut by hand (as pictured), leave the root ends intact, but cut a slit in each
onion as above, then cut across the onions to make ⅛-inch (3mm) slices. Separate
the onion slices into strands. Place the longer strands in a bowl and reserve
the shorter ones for another use. You should have about 8 cups (1.9L) loosely
packed onions.
3 Place a steamer basket in a pot over simmering water.
Place the onion strands in the basket, cover, and steam for 5 to 10 minutes,
until the onions are translucent but still al dente. Taste one to make sure the
sharp onion flavor has mellowed to your liking. Remove the basket from the pot.
(This can be done a few hours before serving.)
4 Remove the bacon from the freezer,
unwrap, and cut crosswise into ⅛-inch (3mm) strips. Put in a large nonstick
skillet and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes,
until crisp and browned.
5 Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix together ¼ cup (60ml)
of the cream and the egg yolk. Set aside.
6 Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour out
the fat and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Return the pan to the burner.
Add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the bacon and the remaining ¼ cup
(60ml) of cream and simmer for 30 seconds. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon each of
salt and pepper. Toss and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onions are hot.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the reserved cream mixture and the
Parmesan. Taste and add additional seasoning, if needed.
7 With a pair of tongs, lift each portion, letting
excess sauce drip back into the pan, and arrange in small mounds on the serving
plates. Serve sprinkled with additional Parmesan, if desired.
0 التعليقات: