Just a week ago we went to visit my mum in New Jersey. We only stayed for two days and then drove back home, which took a while. As soon as we arrived, my eldest son, who was bored after a long journey, invited his friends from the neighborhood over to play. Which came in handy as I had to read through the recipes for my blog, so at least one child was occupied for a while. Half an hour later, my son came into the room and said that he and his six friends were hungry... My first thought was to order some pizzas, as we had almost nothing in the fridge. But then the big, beautiful onions from the Amish farm caught my eye, and I recalled the recipe I had made for my channel a while back... Thirty minutes later, the gang sat down to their early supper, and I went back to work. That's when I realized how important it is to have a few quick and easy pasta recipes in mind... or many, many chicken nuggets in the freezer.
Ingredients:
2 Onions
3 tbsp Butter
6 oz / 180g Pasta
1 ladle of pasta water
2 tsp balsamic glaze to the onion
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, you can add more if you like
3 oz / 90 g parmesan cheese
Method:
Start by cutting 2 onions into half rings.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan.
Cook the onions over a medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
Add a generous pinch of salt and reduce the heat to low. Cook for a further 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta 'al dente' according to the instructions on the packet.
Add 2 teaspoons of the balsamic glaze, stir well and cook for a further three minutes over a low heat.
Set the onions aside and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same frying pan. No need to wash it!
Add 1 teaspoon of freshly grated black pepper and 1 ladle of water where the pasta is being cooked.
Cook over a medium heat for about 1 minute until the sauce thickens slightly.
Drain the pasta when it's ready and stir into the sauce in the pan.
Grate 90g (3oz) of the Parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Stir well until the cheese has melted.
Add the caramelized onions, stir again and serve!
🖨️ Printable recipe (PDF):
Notes:
Choose the pasta: Good quality pasta should look pale. It shouldn't be all smooth and yellow - on the contrary, a granular, uneven texture, as if the pasta is still sprinkled with a little flour, is a sign that the pasta has been shaped and cut by the bronze point and dried for a long time. It would release the starch and allow the sauce to coat the cooked pasta. It doesn't have to be very expensive. Just keep an eye on different pasta brands when shopping.
Spices: I'm using freshly grated black pepper here, but feel free to try any other spices you like. Cumin would add an interesting and very distinctive flavor. Smoked or sweet paprika will intensify the colour. And fresh or dried rosemary or thyme add a little warm herbal taste.
Storage: Although Italians do not usually store leftover pasta, the rest of the world still does! The pasta will keep for 2 days in the fridge and can be reheated in a saucepan on a low heat with a little water.
Substitutions:
Pasta / Gluten Free: I've tried a lot of gluten free pasta alternatives - there's a huge variety in the shops now. I'd eat pasta every day, but we all know what happens to your favorite pair of skinny jeans if you indulge. My favourite gluten-free pasta is lentil-based. I think it is the closest to 'real' pasta in terms of texture. I also like the taste and it's full of vitamin B, iron and magnesium.
Onions: I'd say the other members of the family would work just fine: shallots or leeks. But if you have an allergy, it would be good to replace the onion in this particular recipe with finely chopped carrots, parsnips, celery or fennel.
Balsamic glaze: If you don't have any, don't worry! You can mix 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (or cider-, or rice-, or any other not super strong vinegar) with 1 tablespoon of honey, maple/agave syrup or brown sugar. This would give the same caramel effect as the balsamic glaze.
Cheese: Apart from Parmesan, most hard cheeses would work in this recipe. Pecorino, Grand Padano, Manchego, Cotija...
Lactose-free / vegan: Substitute olive oil for the butter. Use less - about 2 tablespoons. As for the parmesan, there is a great way to make a vegan alternative based on cashews and nutritional yeast. The method and quantities are described here:
If you don’t have lactose-free heavy cream, use silken tofu, soy milk and a bit of salt. Blend them together, and it will make a great high-protein substitution for the cream. If you mix together ¾ cup of cashew nuts, 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, ¼ tablespoon of garlic powder and ¼ tablespoon of salt in the blender, you’ll have an exceptional lactose-free and vegan alternative to the grated parmesan cheese. As for the butter, just skip it at this stage.
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