My original plan had been to make a sour cream and chutney omelette this morning. I knew we still had a little bit of sour cream left and it was already past its expiry, so I figured that'd be a good way to use it up. Unfortunately, I was a bit too late with my clever plan and the sour cream had already gone off. This left me scrambling for an alternate breakfast plan.

I would have tried one of the sweet omelette recipes in the book except I had already added salt and pepper to the eggs and I didn't think that would be very harmonious with, for example, jam and toasted almonds. So, at that point I was pretty much locked in to doing a savoury omelette. And I had to make it with ingredients that I had on hand.

I ended up going with the caramelized onion, ham, and gruyère omelette recipe and making a few substitutions. I know that tocino SPAM and extra old cheddar may not exactly lend the same flavour to the final dish as some nice ham and guryère would, but it was still a nice omelette and, importantly, it was ready in time for the Kidlet to have breakfast before heading off to camp for the day!

Caramelized Onion, SPAM, and Cheddar Omelette

Adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 4 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 c. water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. diced SPAM
• 2 Tbsp. grated Cheddar

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a medium pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and brown (~30 minutes).¹
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the water, salt, and pepper.
4. Melt the remaining 1 tsp. of butter in a large pan over medium-low heat.
5. Pour in the egg and cook until bottom and edges just begin to set (~2 minutes).
6. Push the cooked bits into the centre and let the raw egg flow to the edges of the pan. Try to smooth it out so that you have one even layer of egg again.
7. Cover and continue to cook over medium-low heat while onions caramelize and SPAM crisps.
8. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
9. Add the SPAM and cook until crispy.
10. Remove from pan and set aside. (You can combine it with the onions if you like.)
11. At this point the surface of the egg should be set or nearly so. Add the onion, SPAM, and cheese to one half of the omelette.
12. Fold the bare half of the omelette over to cover the topped half and cook until the cheese starts to melt.
13. Flip and cook for a minute or two more if the egg isn't quite set yet.
14. Transfer to a plate and serve.

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¹ If you have time, try turning the heat down a hair and cooking the onions for an hour or more. This should yield even better results, but requires more time and patience than I had available this morning. ^Back

This recipe from The Good Egg was a recurring staple years ago but hasn't seen a lot of use lately. I cooked it recently with bucatini, and that's what's depicted here, but on reflection I do think it works better with spaghetti as the original recipe calls for, and so I've written it up.

The recipe calls for four eggs; I find that it benefits from either slightly decreasing the pasta quantity or increasing the eggs or both. I have written it for six.

The recipe lists broccoli florets as an optional inclusion, cooked with the pasta in the last four minutes of boiling. It also takes well to other inclusions such as bell pepper, sausage meat, kale -- follow your heart.

The tricky part is getting the eggs and the pasta done at the same time. I find it's better to err on the side of the pasta being done first; if the eggs are done first it's hard to avoid overcooking them and setting the yolks while you wait for the pasta to finish.

Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions and Fried Eggs

The Good Egg by Marie Simmons (p. 265)

Ingredients

• ¼ C olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved and cut into thin slices
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 450g dry spaghetti
• 6 large eggs
• ½ C freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, ~15 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Increase heat to medium low and break the eggs on top of the onions, evenly spaced.
5. Cook until the whites and set and the yolks are still runny, ~5 minutes; add more salt and pepper, if desired.
6. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti al dente.
7. Drain spaghetti, return to pot, and immediately add the egg-and-onion mixture and the cheese and stir to combine. The whites should break up into pieces, and the yolks burst and coat the pasta.
8. Serve with additional cheese.

I'll often just use a handful of fried onions in place of fried onion paste when it's called for in recipes. But I decided that I wanted to try actually making it this time. It's pretty simple. It just takes a while to cook. And uses up a buttload of onions!

Fried Onion Paste

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 900g red onions, halved and sliced
• 1 c. water

Directions

1. Heat wok over medium heat.
2. Add the oil and swirl it around.
3. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized (~30 minutes).
4. Pour water into a blender.
5. Add the onions and purée.
6. Paste can be stored in the fridge for about a week or frozen for up to a few months.

I haven't been baking much bread lately. Or really doing much baking full stop. Which means the sourdough starter has been getting increasingly hungry and acidic in the fridge. I could bake bread with it, but the way I tend to do bread means that I would only use a tiny portion of it. The rest would still be in the fridge. Hungry. So I figured the first thing to do is probably make some sort of quick bread or cake that will allow me to use up a bunch of discard. Once the remaining starter's been fed a few times and is looking little happier and more lively, I can get to the bread.

I have plenty of sourdough discard recipes already. Including some very nice sourdough biscuits. But what can I say? I like trying new things! So I decided to go prowling through the King Arthur website again and see what they had that looked good. And these onion biscuits seemed just the thing.

I think the only thing I'd change if I were to make these again is to add maybe 1 Tbsp. of water to the dough. The biscuits were delicious, but I think the dough could've used just a hint more moisture. I might also consider adding some grated or diced Cheddar cheese. Cheese and onion is such a good combination. I think some old Cheddar would be really excellent in these biscuits!

Caramelized Onion Sourdough Biscuits

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Baking

Ingredients

Onion

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin

Biscuits

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, chilled
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives¹
• 225g sourdough discard (unfed starter)
• 1 Tbsp. water (optional)

Dircections

Onion

1. Melt butter over medium-low heat.
2. Add sugar and onion and cook, covered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and grease a baking sheet.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
3. Cut in butter.
4. Add chives, cooled onion, and starter and mix until just combined.
5. If the dough is not quite coming together, add the water. It should be fairly dry and only just cohesive (or even not quite cohesive).
6. Dump onto a floured surface and press flat.
7. Fold in half and press flat again.
8. Repeat previous step four or five times pressing to a thickness of 2-3cm after the last fold.
9. Cut out circles of desired size (5-7cm works well) and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
10. Combine scraps, fold and press once more, and cut out a couple more circles.
11. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes.
12. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

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¹ Whoops! Just realized I forgot the chives. Oh well... still delicious! ^Back

I had some squash filling left over after making the ravioli the other day, so the Kidlet and I decided to turn it into a quiche. I seasoned the custard with salt, pepper, and lemon thyme and then added some extra kale and a layer of balsamic caramelized onions on top of the squash. I finished it off with a little grated Cheddar. I'm pretty happy with how it came out, but I do regret not adding a few sautéed onions. I think it would've been nice to have the mushrooms in there to give a distinct textural element in addition to a bit of extra umami. Next time...

Squash & Caramelized Onion Quiche

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Crust

• ~200g shortcrust pastry
• 4 large egg whites

Custard

• 3 large eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground

Filling

• 227g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 c. Squash ravioli filling
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. chopped kale
• 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Crust

1. Roll out the pastry and place it in a 23cm (9") pie plate.
2. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, beans, rice, or sugar.
3. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove parchment paper and pie weights, prick crust with fork and brush with some of the egg whites. Reserve the remaining egg whites for the custard.
5. Return to oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and set aside.

Custard

1. Whisk eggs with egg whites and milk.
2. Mix in thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Filling

1. Cook mushrooms with water over medium heat. Cover and continue cooking until mushrooms soften.
2. Uncover, add 1 Tbsp. of oil, and season with salt and pepper if desired. Continue cooking until desired done-ness. Set aside.
3. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium-low heat.
4. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes.
5. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for another minute or two.

Assembly

1. Place squash mixture in bottom of pie shell. Do not press or pack it in, there should be room for custard to flow between the pieces of filling.
2. Layer mushrooms over squash.
3. Layer the kale over the mushrooms.
4. Layer the onion over the kale.
5. Pour the custard into the pie shell. You may not need it all. Do not overfill!
6. Sprinkle cheese on top.
7. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35-45 minutes.

Caramelized onions are amazing. I figured a tart full of them would definitely be a winner. I'm sad to say I was a little disappointed with this one. I mean, it was okay, but it didn't blow me away like the Potato, Spinach, and Raisin Tart I made a few weeks back. It was just... alright. I think, if I made it again, I might try adding a little cottage cheese to it. It might also be worth baking it in a 9" (23cm) springform pan rather that the 9" pie plate I used this time. The recipe specifies a "23cm (9 in) deep tart tin", but I think that means something different in the UK than it does here. After watching a few episodes of Great British Bake Off where they make deep dish pies/tarts, the tins they use are very deep indeed and have straight sides as opposed to the sloped sides of the conventional pie plates we use here. This meant that my tart didn't have the expected capacity and I couldn't fit all the custard in the shell, which probably threw off the balance of the recipe a bit. I guess I'll try using a springform pan next time and see if that makes a difference.

Onion Tart

Slightly adapted from The Book of Old Tarts by Elizabeth Hodder

Ingredients

• 225g savoury/plain shortcrust pastry
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
• 1 egg white
• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 onions, peeled and sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 425mL heavy (35%) cream
• pinch of saffron

Directions

1. Lightly flour your work surface and sprinkle with thyme.
2. Roll out the pastry on the prepared surface.
3. Line a 9" (23cm) springform pan with the pastry.
4. Prick pastry all over with a fork and brush with egg white.
5. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25 minutes.
6. Melt butter and oil over medium heat.
7. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and sugar.
8. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Remove lid and cook for another 10 minutes.
10. Stir in nutmeg and ginger, then remove from heat.
11. Beat the eggs with the extra yolks and season with salt and pepper.
12. Add the saffron to the cream and gently warm over medium-low heat until just steaming.
13. Add warm cream to beaten eggs in a thin stream while whisking.
14. Spoon the onion mixture into the baked pie shell.
15. Pour the custard over the onions.
16. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes.
17. Serve warm.

Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Glazed Mushroom Brie en Croûte

I have a backlog of about half a dozen recipes that I've made in the last week or so and haven't gotten around to writing up yet. I was doing them more-or-less in order. I think I have to jump the queue with this one though. I ended up improvising a bit and I'm afraid that I'll forget what I did if I don't write it down right away.

This recipe ended up being a hybrid of two other recipes I came across online. I wasn't intending to do this. The plan had been to just make the brie en croûte recipe I found on Food52. I didn't realize until I was already mostly done cooking the onions that I'd somehow managed to get the wrong tab open and had actually been following a completely different baked brie recipe on Eipcurious. So, from there I just kind of improvised to merge the two recipes into something delicious.

Onion and Mushroom Brie en Croûte

Ingredients

Onions

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• few grinds black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. dry white wine
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

Mushrooms

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 227g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. dry white wine
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Everything Else

• 454g puff pastry, divided
• 2 small (4-5"/10-13cm) wheels of brie
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook until softened.
3. Add thyme and salt, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring often, until nicely brown and caramelized. This will take about half an hour.
4. Add pepper and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add wine, stir and cook for another minute.
6. Stir in sugar and cook for a further 2 minutes.
7. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
8. Increase heat to medium and add remaining butter to pan.
9. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms release their liquid.
10. Pour wine, soy, and vinegar over mushrooms and cook until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are nicely glazed.
11. Preheat oven to 425°F (210°C).
12. My puff pastry came in 2 squares, each one pretty much the perfect size for wrapping one of my wheels of brie. If yours are packaged/portioned differently or if you're making your pastry from scratch, you'll have to roll it out to an appropriate size.
13. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
14. Place a square of pastry on the lined baking sheet.
15. Bisect each wheel of brie horizontally.
16. Place the bottom half of the brie in the centre of the pastry.
17. Spread half the mushrooms over the brie.
18. Spread about a quarter of the onions on top of the mushrooms.
19. Place the top half of the brie over this.
20. Spread another portion (about 1/3 of the remaining onions) on top of the brie.
21. Mix the water with the egg white.
22. Gently pull the pastry up over the brie stack. Brush a little of the egg wash over the corners to help them stick. Press gently to seal.
23. Entire assembly can be frozen at this point for later baking.
24. Brush the outside liberally with more egg wash.
25. Repeat procedure with second portion of pastry and brie, using up the remaining mushrooms and onions.
26. Bake at 425°F (210°C) for 25 minutes.
27. Serve warm on its own or with baguette and/or crackers.

"Mitty" Chawal

Made this to go with Kashmiri Batak. Might try grinding spices next time rather than just bruising.

"Mitty" Chawal
From 660 Curries
2 c. basmati rice
1 tsp. black peppercorns
8 green cardamom pods
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks (3" each)
1/4 c. ghee
2 onions, chopped
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

1. Rinse the rice three or four times in cold water. Cover with fresh water and let stand 20-30 minutes.
2. Bruise spices in mortar and pestle.
3. Heat ghee over medium heat. Add onion, sugar, and spices. Stir-fry 10-15 minutes.
4. Drain rice. Stir rice and onion mixture together in rice cooker. Add salt and 3 c. water. Turn on rice cooker.
5. Allow rice to steam on "warm" setting (without lifting lid) for 10 minutes after cook cycle completes.
6. Fluff with rice paddle and serve.

Caramelized Onion Pizza

Okay, so I may have spent way too much time browsing Food52 over the last couple of weeks but, in my defense, there's some really good stuff there! Including this caramelized onion pizza!

I was going to be all cool and make my pizza dough from scratch but, alas, my yeast had expired! In the end, I just bought some ready-made dough and took it from there. I also used cured black olives instead of kalamata. Normally I prefer the kalamata as I find them a bit milder, but I really liked the way the black olives combined with this pizza!

This came out quite nicely. Although, rolling the dough out on the pizza stone turns out to be a bad idea. (Just in case you were wondering.) It took... a while to pry each slice of pizza free from the clutches of the pizza stone once it came out of the oven. Once were were able to pry the pizza off the stone though, it did taste quite good!

I like this as a cheeseless, sauceless pizza option. Olives, anchovies, and onions will all keep well in the fridge or pantry respectively. So, as long as you have some yeast and flour and whatnot on hand to make the crust, you can have a pretty tasty pizza without having to do a grocery run to stock up on ingredients!