I usually take my time cooking onions, leaving them to do their thing in oil or butter until they are soft and golden. Not a task to hurry if you want them truly sweet and amber-hued. This week I needed to cook them differently – soft enough to crush between finger and thumb, but not browned – for a pale and calming soup to enjoy on a cold day.
I sliced the onions and added them to the pan with celery and leafy twigs of thyme and bay. The heat was kept at a moderate level and the onions and aromatics puttered away quietly, cooking at a whisper rather than a sizzle. They were stirred every 5 minutes or so, their edges taking on the palest yellow colour without a hint of brown. The strong onion notes were softened further with a little cream, then given a smoky note with speck, torn into thick ribbons to dunk into the ivory depths of the soup.
There was a dish of knobbly, roasted Jerusalem artichokes on the table this week, too. Rather than crisping like roast potatoes, the flesh turned glossy and sticky, made all the more so by the introduction of lemons – both fresh and preserved – and a trickle of honey. The treatment works well with the slightly bitter notes of the artichokes. With the weather on the cool side that night, I added a scattering of chewy balls of steamed mograbia, or pearl or giant couscous as it is also labelled, and felt safe and warm in the comfort of carbs.
Cream of onion soup
A calm and soothing soup with the smoky notes of cured ham. Serves 4
onions 500g
celery 2 ribs
butter 75g
bay leaves 3
thyme 4 branches
flour 50g
vegetable stock 500ml, hot
double cream 150ml
For the roast onions:
onions 4, small to medium
olive oil 2 tbsp
thyme 4 branches
To serve:
speck or other cured meat 75g, thinly sliced
To make the soup, peel the onions and roughly chop them. Cut the celery into small pieces. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onions, celery, bay and thyme sprigs and cook until soft, but with very little colour. Stir regularly so the onions don’t brown and caramelise.
While the onions cook, start the roast onion accompaniment. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Peel the onions, cut each one in half from root to tip, then into 3 or 4 thick segments. Put them in a roasting tin, add the oil and thyme, then toss together to coat the onions with oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning them over once and checking now and again until they are soft and golden brown.
Continue with the soup. Introduce the flour to the softened onions, stirring well, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the hot stock and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Pick out the sprigs of thyme, then use a stick blender to reduce to a smooth consistency. If you prefer, you could use a jug blender or food processor, taking care not to overfill the jug or bowl.
Stir in the cream, check the seasoning, being generous with the salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls. Add segments of roasted onion to each bowl, then tear the speck into large pieces and add to the soup.
Jerusalem artichokes with lemon and mograbia
The gentle reassurance of carbs. The artichokes, given time in the oven with a little oil, thyme, lemon and honey become soft, sticky and golden. This is a good dish to eat alongside thick slices of ham or the soft, creamy flesh of a smoked mackerel. Once the mograbia is cooked and drained it is happy to wait while the artichokes become ready. Make sure they are fully soft before adding the honey and mograbia. Serves 4 as light lunch or substantial side dish
Jerusalem artichokes 800g
lemon 1
olive oil 3 tbsp
thyme 10 small sprigs
mograbia (or giant couscous) 150g
preserved lemons 2, small
honey 2 tbsp
parsley a small handful, chopped
Peel the artichokes as best you can. The skin is edible so it is not essential to get into every nook and cranny, but it can be a little indigestible. Cut the lemon in half. Cut each artichoke in half lengthways. As you peel and halve the artichokes, rub the exposed surfaces with the cut side of a lemon half to stop them browning.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Put the artichokes in a roasting tin, pour in the olive oil and season lightly with salt. Tuck the lemon halves and thyme among the artichokes and roast for 25-30 minutes, checking them from time to time. They are done when they are soft to the touch.
While the artichokes are roasting, put a pan of water on to boil and salt it generously, as you would for pasta. When it boils, rain in the mograbia and let the water return to the boil. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender but still chewy. Drain and set aside.
Cut the preserved lemons in half, discard the squishy centres, then finely chop the skins. Add to the roasting tin, then squeeze the roast lemon halves gently with the back of a spoon to let their juices flow into the tin. Pour in the honey, stir gently and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the artichokes – which should now be golden – to a warm serving dish, leaving behind the roasting juices. Add the drained mograbia and parsley to the roasting tin, let it bubble for a couple of minutes over a moderate heat, then spoon over the artichokes.
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