This really is simplicity itself. We had roast beef on Sunday. As the joint cooked I added another pan with the onions and let them do their thing. Beans blanch for a minute. Mix and dress with the caremalised onion juices lifted with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Serve at room temperature for a summer version of roast dinner, with the beef and some potato salad. Lovely stuff and good next day too.
Red Onion and Green Beans
4 red onions, peeled and left whole
2 tbspns olive oil
100g thin green beans, topped and tailed, but left whole
1 tspn balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
Roast the onions in the olive oil for about an hour at Gas 4/180C, basting occasionally. When they are slightly blackened and soft to the tip of a knife, take them out and put them into a flattish bowl.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the beans, return to the boil, and let them cook for a minute. Drain.
Scatter the beans over the onions, mix the vinegar into the onion oil and drizzle it over the vegetables. Stir through to coat and leave to macerate for a while before serving.
This will feed 4 in one go, but we had the other 2 with lunch on Monday, and very fine they were too!
Lovely lovely olive oil! I made a shipping order of ratatouille in the slow cooker today, mainly to use up a HUGE courgette I had been given by Bob-round-the-corner. I added a couple of spoons of O.O. My friend in Portugal said I wouldn't notice it missing if I left it out, but you can you know. Would you have added it?
ReplyDeleteAngie I would definitely have added it - and I think it really does add lovely things to lots of dishes, ratatouille being one of them. It rounds out the flavours and adds a lushness to the finished dish.
ReplyDeleteAren't you lucky having Bob-round-the-corner? I tried to grow a marrow plant and it thrived for a month then unexpectedly died a death. Too sad!