Grilled
Spanish Onion with Rocket-leaf Salad
I am constantly
amazed after all my years of cooking at how there can be anything new – but
there always is, again and again. This is an example, utterly simple, yet quite
unlike any other salad. If rocket leaves
are unavailable, flat-leaf
parsley with lamb's
lettuce is a good substitute. Vegetarians might like to know that a
vegetarian parmesan-style
cheese is available.
Serves : 4
Ingredients:
4 Spanish Onions (the
largest you can get)
About 1oz / 25g Rocket
Leaves or Flat-Leaf
Parsley and Lamb's
Lettuce
6 – 7 tbsp Extra
Virgin Olive Oil
3oz / 75g Parmesan
(Parmigiano Reggiano) in a
piece
Juice 1 Large Lemon
Salt and Freshly
Milled Black Pepper
Instructions:
- Pre-heat
the grill to its highest setting for about 5 minutes.
- First
of all, don't peel the onions: simply
trim off the root and top before cutting each one across into four slices
about ¾ inch / 2cm thick.
- Keeping
the slices whole, transfer them to the grill rack (you might have to do
this in two batches, depending on the size of your grill), then brush them
with oil and
season with salt
and freshly milled pepper.
- Now
position the grill pan so that the onion slices are
about 4 inches / 10cm from the heat and grill for 7 or 8 minutes until the
onions are browned – indeed within a whisker of being blackened.
- While
that's happening, prepare the Parmesan by shaving
it into wafer-thin pieces with a potato peeler.
- For
the onions the
next stage needs a little care: use a palette knife to turn the slices
over so that they don't break up into their constituent rings.
- Repeat
the same oiling, seasoning and grilling on the other side, then remove
from the heat and leave them on one side until they're cool enough to
handle.
- Now
discard the outside layers and any parts of the onion slices that
are too blackened or chewy to eat, and separate the cold onion into rings.
- Put
about a quarter of the rings in a layer on a serving dish and gradually
build up the salad, intermingling onion rings with the torn rocket leaves
and shavings of Parmesan,
sprinkling with more salt
and pepper, lemon juice and
about 3 tablespoons of olive oil as
you go.
- This
salad should not be tossed, so it relies on the cook to mingle the
ingredients as the salad is put together. Serve at room temperature.
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