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Slow baked sweet onions with za’atar butter and parsnip purée
Serves Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- For the parsnip purée
- 375g parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
- 50g butter
- 3tbsp chicken stock
For the za'atar butter
- 2tbsp roasted sesame seeds
- 2tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3tbsp fresh oregano
- 2tbsp sumac powder
- 1tsp cumin seed
- ½tsp Himalayan pink salt crystals
- 1tbsp wildflower honey
- 100g butter, at room temperature
For the onions
- 1kg mixed red and white medium-sized sweet onions
- 6tbsp olive oil
Method
To make the parsnip purée, place the parsnips in a pan, cover with lightly salted cold water and boil for 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and return to the pan with the butter and chicken stock. Place over a low heat, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until very tender and all the stock has been absorbed. Mash until very smooth or use a potato ricer for a smoother purée.
To make the za’atar butter, grind the sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar to break them up. Then add the remaining ingredients, except for the butter, and grind to a rough paste. Mix the paste into the soft butter and wrap in clingfilm to form a sausage shape. Chill in the fridge to firm up and use as needed.
To cook the onions, preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Leaving the skins and tops intact, take each onion and make two slashes into the top of each one to a depth of about 1cm then slice a little off the root end so they stand upright. Arrange the onions in a roasting tin, spoon a little oil inside each one and season. Cover with foil and roast for an hour. Add 2tbsp of water, cover and roast for a further 30 minutes. Push some za’atar butter into the slashes and roast for another 20 minutes or until tender in the centre. Add more za’atar butter to the onions and a little to the parsnip purée and serve with extra olive oil spooned over the onions.
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