Breakfast
Braised bunched onions, white beans & tomatoes on toast
We harvest bunched onions through the summer. They are the midway point between spring onions and the standard onions that been fully grown and dried for storage. Generally, you can use them as you would any regular onion, but it is nice to take advantage of their sweet taste and diminutive nature and keep some of their shape. As with all alliums a bit of time and heat will transform them into something tender, savoury and sweet.
Cook's notes
The onions and beans could easily be used as a pasta sauce instead of serving on toast, finished with plenty of grated Parmesan. Any leftovers could be lengthened into a soup or blended into a dip.
Ingredients
- 250g bunched onions
- 300g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 300g cooked haricot or cannellini beans
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- small bunch of oregano
- pinch of dried chilli flakes – optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 200ml of water or stock
- 2 slices of sourdough bread
- 2 eggs
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Trim away the top inch or so of the green stalks and keep them to one side. Split each onion in half, lengthways - if they have started to fill out into orbs you might want to cut them into quarters. Remove any outer skin that feels too dry or papery. Trim away the very end of the root.
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Step 2
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a shallow pan or casserole. Gently fry the onions, cut side down, for a few minutes until they take on some light colour.
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Step 3
Add the vinegar, tomatoes, and stock followed by the bay, paprika, and chilli, if using. Stir in the beans, tear in some oregano leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly with a lid or foil, and cook slowly over a very low heat, or in an oven set to 180˚C/Gas 4, for 30 mins or until the onions are completely soft and you have a rich beany sauce. Taste and tweak the seasoning with more, salt, pepper and chilli to your liking.
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Step 4
Toast the bread and fry or poach the eggs. Serve onions and beans piled on toast, topped with an egg, and finish with plenty of fresh oregano and some finely sliced green onion tops.