If you’ve never dabbled with cipollini onions before, try this preparation. What I love about cipollinis is that they’re essentially mini onions, so as opposed to large onions that you have to chop up or separate into layers, you can eat cippolinis whole and when you do, it’s like a flavor explosion in your mouth! Their sweetness is concentrated and they’re beautifully delicate.
Cooked this way, the cipollinis take on a deep richness and smoothness that goes well with almost everything. Which brings me to the uses for these glazed mini onions: this dish makes a great side. The natural sweetness of the onions can balance out other dishes, without adding any sugar. It’s a delicious pop of flavor that you can have in your fridge that you can use in your cooking and will last a few weeks.
Eat these glazed cipollinis whole or blend them into a purée and spread it on toast (use this idea to make canapés by spreading the toast on crackers!). Or use these cipollinis as a condiment and use them to season dishes and elevate soups, stews, and salads.
If for whatever reasons you can’t find cipollini onions, you can use chopped Spanish onions or Vidalia onions—which are very sweet—instead. Also feel free to add more spices such as fennel seeds, ground cloves, or mustard seeds.
For these glazed cipollini onions, you’ll need:
1 small pan
Spatula
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Parchment paper to create a cartouche or lid that will fit the pan
Use these glazed cipollinis for:
Dressings
Salads
As a condiment for soups and stews
As a side or topping for macro plates or grain bowls
Canapés (blend into a purée and spread on toast or crackers)
1 small, thin cinnamon stick
1g telicherry peppercorn (about 20 pcs )
40ml extra virgin olive oil
340g peeled cipollini onions (about 28 small onions)
148g fennel, sliced into 1/2”-thick slices (about 2 small bulbs)
15g garlic cloves (about 4 small cloves)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Sea salt, to taste
240ml vegetable broth
Zest of 1/2 orange
4-5 slices orange
Heat a small pan on low flame and add cinnamon and peppercorn. Toast the spices until fragrant (about 5 minutes).
Add oil, cipollini, fennel, garlic and thyme to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until everything is starting to get some color.
Season with salt and add broth, orange zest, and orange slices. Cover with a lid or a cartouche and cook on low flame for about 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes to see if there’s still water in the pan and check how cooked the cipollini are by using a cake tester or toothpick. The cipollini should be soft and look glazed and shiny.
Adjust seasoning if necessary and transfer to a clean jar. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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